Category: Front Page News (Page 95 of 367)

Jamal Adams has asked to be traded by the Jets

There’s been a lot of talk over the last 48 hours about Jamal Adams — and understandably so. He’s a quality player at a good age (turns 25 in October). Aside from his obvious qualities on the field he’s also considered an emotional leader.

It does warrant asking why we’re on chapter seven of ‘will he or won’t he leave the Jets’. It’s possible that the constant drama that surrounds his future is self inflicted. After all, there’s little reason for the Jets to part with a player everyone considers one of their best. Nevertheless here we are — with Adams unsatisfied on contract talks and trying to force his way out of New York.

Adam Schefter tweeted a list of the best teams in the NFL, stating Adams would be willing to be traded to any of them. The Seahawks were on the list. This is all part of the ‘come and get me’ plea that the player is initiating through the media. The Seahawks are listed not so much for any specific reason other than they’re a competent franchise who regularly qualifies for the playoffs with a top quarterback.

Even so, it’s got people talking and even creating wild and wonderful trade scenarios — including players and picks.

The chances of the Seahawks actually making the trade however are remote.

The reality is that safety is one of the few positions where they actually have some depth and talent. The Quandre Diggs acquisition during the 2019 season was a masterstroke. Already he looks like Seattle’s second best player on defense. He’s charismatic and respected. As long as he can stay healthy, a contract extension at the end of the season could be on the cards. Diggs is only 27 and has an opportunity to become a longer term core member of the roster.

At strong safety, they’re only a year removed from spending a second round pick on Marquise Blair. While it’s no precursor to success, it’s worth noting that they took Blair 17 spots earlier than D.K. Metcalf in the 2019 draft. The only defensive back they’ve drafted earlier than Blair is Earl Thomas. That’s how much potential they think he has. He’s also not the first safety to require some time to learn the scheme. Kam Chancellor was redshirted. Earl Thomas had growing pains and simply played anyway because he joined what amounted to an expansion-level roster in 2010.

Trading for Adams would all but write off the Blair pick one year into his career.

They also have Bradley McDougald, who people are already happy to write off and propel off the roster — presumably because he’s not a former high pick or a flashy big name. Yet McDougald has long been underrated. His passer rating when thrown to in 2019 was 58.8 — among the top-15 for all defensive backs in the league. That’s comparable to Tyrann Mathieu (57.8) and Eddie Jackson (57.6). That’s despite being targeted 14 more times than Jackson in coverage.

He actually had a relatively poor end to last season which impacted his statistics. For most of the year he was graded in a similar range to Earl Thomas, who ended up leading all defensive backs in passer rating.

McDougald has also contributed with turnovers — including five interceptions in the last two seasons, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Nobody would argue he’s a better player than Adams. He isn’t. Given the choice of the two players to build around, you’d clearly choose the younger former top-10 pick. Yet McDougald is the ideal player to have in place while you bring along Blair. He’s a competent, productive starter with leadership qualities. If the aim is for Blair to take over the starting role in the next 12 months, this is actually a good situation. He has to earn the job but he has a pathway to achieve that.

By trading for Adams you’re completely blocking his route to start. It’d be the end of his Seattle career. You’d have to pay a first round pick for the privilege plus other picks too — on top of the selection already used on Blair.

It really comes down to this — the strong safety position is not a problem for Seattle. They have a reasonable transition plan in place. As good as Adams is — it’s not a situation that warrants the extreme investment (picks and a massive new salary) it would cost to bring him in.

Diggs, McDougald and Blair — supported by Ugo Amadi — isn’t a glaring weakness. If the Seahawks are going to spend a first round pick in a trade, it should be on the defensive line. That’s the real area that’s going to hold them back in a title run.

The dire situation is highlighted by the fact they still haven’t replaced Al Woods at defensive tackle. At the moment they’re prepared to enter the season with only Bryan Mone and Demarcus Christmas backing up Jarran Reed and Poona Ford.

At defensive end, they’re going to be relying on Benson Mayowa and Bruce Irvin — plus anything they can get from rookie Darrell Taylor — to try and fix the pass rush problem and make up for the loss of Jadeveon Clowney. Nobody would’ve accepted that situation the day after the Green Bay playoff game. Yet here we are.

Had the Seahawks invested in their D-line in free agency and not acquired Quandre Diggs or Marquise Blair in the last 12 months — trading for Adams would’ve been a smart move. As it is they’ve just got other priorities at the moment.

And before anyone points out that Adams had 6.5 sacks for the Jets last year — remember who he was playing for. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams embarrassingly calls himself ‘Doctor Blitz’. Adams blitzed 90 times during the 2019 season, ninth most in the entire NFL at any position. Baltimore’s Chuck Clark, in a similar scheme, was the only safety who blitzed at a similar rate.

In comparison, Bradley McDougald blitzed 21 times. Even Bobby Wagner only blitzed 71 times last season.

In Seattle’s scheme, Earl Thomas recorded the grand total of zero sacks and Kam Chancellor had two. So Adams’ sack total is unlikely to translate.

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A month ago I wrote a piece discussing why re-signing Josh Gordon would be a wise move for the Seahawks.

Today, the seemingly inevitable reunion moved a step closer…

Free-agent WR Josh Gordon submitted his letter applying for reinstatement Wednesday, source said.

Still only 29, Gordon has been in Seattle, running routes and preparing for his return. The hope is to get his indefinite suspension lifted in time for training camp.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 18, 2020

Gordon’s attorney is arguing that he suffered a relapse following the death of his brother in November:

“But since that time, he has realized how important it is for him to take the right steps, do what’s proper and understand how to manage these issues. He’s installed the right team around him to make sure he’s on the right path. He understands he’s been given every chance. He looks forward to making the most of this.”

Clearly this is a plausible explanation for someone who has had a lot of personal demons to conquer. It’s also, unfortunately, a familiar story for Gordon. Eventually he’s going to run out of chances to prove he’s ‘realized how important it is to take the right steps’. If he gets another opportunity with the Seahawks, it’ll possibly be his final shot in the league.

That said, the two parties are tailor made for each other in this circumstance. Pete Carroll is always willing to take on a reclamation project. Gordon needs the kind of support an organisation like the Seahawks provides. Seattle has strong leadership across the board and a quarterback with gravitas and status.

More importantly, they have an empathetic approach to their players. They celebrate uniqueness — even if it presents itself in a challenging form.

On the field, the Seahawks badly need a dynamic third wheel at receiver. The league has transitioned in the last few years and the top teams have a variety of weapons and genuine flexibility on offense. The Seahawks have Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf and Greg Olsen. Putting Josh Gordon on the field too creates a headache for opponents.

His potential impact was clear in his restricted stint at the end of last year. Joining mid-season he had to work within a limited route tree but still found ways to impact games. He was a trusted and reliable presence on third down and pulled off one of the downfield catches of the season against Carolina.

If he has a training camp to develop his role, Seattle could have their most dynamic array of receiving weapons in Russell Wilson’s career. Considering the state of the defensive line currently, they’re going to need to find some ways to compensate.

He’s also not going to break the bank. With a limited market and a string of suspensions he might have to settle for a veteran minimum ‘prove-it’ contract. In that instance it’d be a no-brainer to bring him in and give him a chance to compete.

Wilson called for superstar additions at the Pro-Bowl and the Seahawks didn’t answer the call. Neither did they tap into a strong wide receiver draft until the latter stages of day three or properly address the pass rush. The least they can do is bring back one of the most talented (albeit troubled) receivers in the NFL.

The league will likely agree to his reinstatement after he missed games at the end of last season. Hopefully this will be done in time for the start of camp and the worst kept secret in the NFL — that Gordon would be reunited with the Seahawks — can be confirmed.

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Tyler Lockett is only the joint 22nd best paid receiver in the NFL

The importance of timing when it comes to contracts cannot be overestimated.

Anticipating when to agree terms is vital. It provides you with an opportunity to get ahead of the game. While the immediate reaction might be one of surprise depending on the size of the salary — foreseeing progression can provide extreme value.

Kam Chancellor is a good example of this early in the Pete Carroll era. He was made one of the highest paid safeties in the league in 2013 when he signed a four-year, $28m contract. Nobody doubted Chancellor was a fine player and a leader on the team. Yet many questioned the size of the contract. In the end, it was a perfectly justified deal that actually provoked a holdout down the line because it was so reasonable.

The most recent example is Tyler Lockett. There were a few eyebrows raised when he agreed a three-year, $31.8m extension in August 2018. By that point his best season, yardage wise, was his rookie effort of 664. He’d suffered a serious leg injury and in 2017 had only recorded 555 yards and two touchdowns.

It’s easy to forget now but at the time a lot of people questioned the deal. In hindsight, it’s been an absolute bargain.

Lockett has turned into a star. He has 2022 yards in the last two seasons and 18 touchdowns. It’s impossible to imagine the offense functioning without his connection to the quarterback. The trust, chemistry and sheer talent and ability to make the impossible happen is the focal point of the offense.

The $31.8m contract was worth an average of $10.25m a year. Two years later, Lockett is the joint 22nd highest paid receiver in the league. He’s earning less per year than Emmanuel Sanders and Tyler Boyd. His salary is on par with Sterling Shepard’s extension with the Giants.

He’s earning marginally more than Quincy Enunwa.

If I were Lockett’s representatives, I’d be pushing for another extension.

It might be worth Seattle trying to get ahead of the game again. They have an estimated $63m available in 2021 and $187m available in 2022. By tearing up his current contract they might be able to increase his $11.5m cap hit for next season but lower his cap hit this year (currently $12.25m) — then tack on a couple of years paying him in the same range as DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks ($16.2m).

That might seem like a lot of money to pay Lockett down the line — especially with the uncertainty about the NFL economy due to coronavirus. Assuming the league will recover — and it should — there’s little reason to think receivers are going to see a major regression in average salary at the top end. Thus — what might seem costly today ($16m) might actually be a bargain by the time we get to 2022. Even if it isn’t — Lockett is Seattle’s #1 target. And while a lot of his game is built around supreme athleticism and quickness which might fade slightly as he turns 30 — he’s still incredibly savvy and technically brilliant.

Lockett might not be interested in such a pact and might think it’s best to wait this out and perhaps eventually become a free agent. Yet he, more than most, seems to recognise the good thing he’s got in Seattle. He’s among the highest paid on the roster and gets to work with an elite quarterback at a well run organisation.

Securing an extra couple of years on his deal for a top amount could also benefit both parties. Lockett gets the extra security and doesn’t risk becoming a free agent after 2021 in a financially uncertain period for the NFL. The team can lock up one of its very best players while also creating cap room this year (which it badly needs considering there are still significant holes on the roster).

He only turns 28 in September. Getting ahead of the game with Lockett once before paid dividends. He’s also part of the clear definitive core group that they need to add to and commit to. A pay increase for the future would also be a welcome reward for a player who has been underpaid compared to his peers.

Lockett is one of the best receivers in the league and is clearly one of Seattle’s most important players. Their only long term contract commitments are Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. There’s no reason not to add Lockett’s name to that list. Rather than ask him to tweak his deal to create cap space this year — an extension and overall pay increase would be a just reward for a player who has quickly developed into a significant asset.

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Chris Carson’s style is highly valued by Pete Carroll

Whether you agree or not, the Seahawks see tremendous value in a particular type of running back.

There’s a reason why they consistently target players in the 220lbs range with explosive traits and the ability to finish runs. There’s no mystery to what they look for — and it’s why for the last few years we’ve been able to say with a degree of certainty who will be on their radar.

Pete Carroll talks consistently about completing the circle. In his mind the way to connect the defense to the offense is through a tough, physical running game. We saw how the LOB and Marshawn Lynch played off each other. Good luck recreating that chemistry — but at the very least Carson, for two seasons now, has been able to deliver the running style they crave.

His ability to finish runs, take the hammer to opponents and be unpleasant to tackle is, to Carroll, a key factor.

2019 wasn’t a bad season for Carson. He finished fifth in yards (1230) behind only Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott. He was third for yards after contact (905) and he was second only to Nick Chubb in yards per carry after contact (3.3).

It wasn’t a particularly remarkable season either. His yards per attempt (4.4) was fairly middle of the road despite playing against opponents needing to key in on Russell Wilson.

He also fumbled seven times — most in the league by running backs. It was a problem that dogged him for the entire season, creating question marks going forward.

His injury history (NFL and college) and fumbling problems mean there are serious concerns about committing to Carson as a long term foundation piece.

However, there are a couple of things to consider here.

Firstly, the Seahawks didn’t draft a running back early. They had the opportunity too and it was an impressive, top-heavy running back class this year. Had they taken Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jonathan Taylor, J.K. Dobbins or Cam Akers for example — the writing could’ve been on the wall for Carson. They could’ve easily walked away from him next off-season having made an investment at the position.

Instead, they waited until round four and took a flyer on Deejay Dallas before signing makeshift veteran Carlos Hyde.

The Seahawks clearly felt they had other priorities — and they did. They like Carson. The defense is a big problem. They prioritised adding to their defensive front seven rather than planning ahead at running back (which is certainly plausible given the lack of activity to fix the defense in free agency).

It’s still a small vote of confidence in a player approaching a contract year who has had too many fumbles and injuries. Some will argue they can just replace him next year anyway, which is true. Yet the Seahawks clearly place a certain value on the position. Essentially ignoring it until the dying embers of free agency and the draft is, if nothing else, a hint that Carson is part of their plans beyond 2020.

Secondly, the contract environment might actually be moving in the right direction for the Seahawks.

Several high profile running backs have signed big extensions recently and the moves haven’t worked out. It means that the next crop — which includes Carson and Dalvin Cook — might find it difficult to garner any leverage in negotiations.

Teams like Seattle are also boosted by Melvin Gordon’s situation. A year ago he held out deep into the season. The Chargers called his bluff and he had to cede and return to the team. When he finally reached the open market as a healthy and somewhat rested player — his market was flat. He ended up having to sign a two-year deal with Denver. He probably anticipated more money when he originally decided to hold out.

Cook is already making noises that he will also hold out if he doesn’t get an extension this summer. Yet the Vikings will very likely use the same tactics as the Chargers. Cook is a good player but is he any more likely to get a big contract as a free agent next year? That’s debatable.

The upper hand is with the teams. This is especially the case with Carson.

He’s due to make $2,149,283 in 2020. This is the first time in his career he’s earned a seven-figure sum. Unlike players such as Cook or Gordon (both high picks) — Carson is yet to make any life-changing money.

Even if he has a fantastic season, the fumbling and injury issues will remain on his résumé. He might be able to convert a strong season into a Melvin Gordon type deal on the open market. There’s also a chance he’ll continue to fumble, get injured again and seriously impact his earning potential.

It’d be interesting to know whether the Seahawks are open to extension talks this year. Presumably it would be tempting for a player in Carson’s position to try and seek some financial security, provided there was still an opportunity to reach the open market in the near future.

It might be worth his while to come to some sort of shorter term compromise now — such as tacking on Gordon’s two years for $8m onto his existing deal. That would enable him to reach the market again in his late 20’s and make some serious money in 2021 and potentially 2022.

His representatives could argue (and I suspect this will be Dalvin Cook’s argument too) that Christian McCaffrey has just reset the market on $16m a year. McCaffrey’s a unicorn though. He’s the face of the franchise in Carolina now, has had near enough back-to-back 2000 yard seasons and they couldn’t afford to let him walk as they progress through a new era and rebuild. Both Carson and Cook are not going to be able to convince their teams to spend that kind of money. It’s also worth noting how healthy and available McCaffrey has been in his career — unlike Carson and Cook.

The Seahawks appear comfortable with Carson and they like his fit. The shape of the running back market works in their favour and Carson’s modest earnings so far in his career could make a shorter term extension appealing for both parties. It’s unlikely Rashaad Penny will do enough in a truncated season to make him dispensable and Carlos Hyde is a short-term fix.

He’s not going to earn mega money and if he did have a stunning 2020 season with massive production — the Seahawks would have the protection of a $10m franchise tag in their back-pocket. It might make sense for both parties to come together now — unless the Seahawks are willing to both let him play out the season and then test free agency, knowing they might be better off letting him establish his market before making even a shorter-term commitment.

That would make some sense too. There’s not really a ‘wrong’ answer here — provided they don’t invest obscene sums (which seems highly unlikely). Eventually though, whether it’s a short term pact or something longer, there’s a reasonable chance 2020 won’t be Carson’s final year in Seattle.

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Quandre Diggs quickly developed into a key player for Seattle

Walter Thurmond, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Jeremy Lane.

The Seahawks drafted all five between 2010 and 2012. All five were day three picks.

Since then, the well has run dry.

Cornerbacks Tharold Simon and Tye Smith never made it. Since Smith was taken in 2015, the Seahawks have only drafted one pure cornerback in the subsequent five drafts (Shaquill Griffin). Tre Flowers was a safety convert with the ideal build for what the Seahawks look for — but he was no corner in college.

They’ve drafted a number of safeties — Ryan Murphy, Tedric Thompson, Delano Hill, Mike Tyson, Marquise Blair and Ugo Amadi.

Murphy never looked like making the grade. Thompson struggled before eventually being cut. Hill will fight to make the roster this year. Tyson is long gone. Neither Blair or Amadi made an impression as a rookie (despite some overly positive reviews).

For a team with such a rich early history in developing defensive backs, it’s strange how things have come to a shuddering hault.

There are plenty of theories as to why. Are teams drafting Seattle-style cornerbacks earlier, in an attempt to mimic their success? Is it down to coaching — with the Seahawks no longer having Kris Richard as a position coach? It could even be a lack of options, especially in terms of the cornerbacks. In the 2020 draft, there were hardly any corners that matching Seattle’s preferred profile.

They’ve tried to solve the problem with astute veteran acquisitions. The Quandre Diggs trade looks like a steal, provided he can stay healthy. Bradley McDougald has never been given the credit he deserves for a really solid spell as a starter and leader. The Quinton Dunbar trade has promise, although it’s still unclear what his status will be for the 2020 season following his arrest on suspicion of armed robbery.

Even so, the unit as a whole — like so many areas on Seattle’s roster — faces a crossroads.

You can make a case that the only three positions with any degree of long term security are quarterback, linebacker and receiver. Everything else — running back, defensive line, cornerback, safety, offensive line and even tight end — has a question mark.

This further speaks to where the roster is. A lot of names on a sheet built up as competition — but not enough solutions or talent at key positions.

I want to focus on the future of the secondary today.

Shaquill Griffin certainly improved in 2019, highlighted by this review from PFF:

Griffin earned a coverage grade of 77.0 that ranked 14th among qualifying cornerbacks, and it stemmed from his ability to make plays on the football. He forced incompletions on 14 of his 66 targets this season for a forced incompletion rate of 21.2% that ranked second among all cornerbacks with 50 or more targets.

He also made the pro-bowl for the first time as a replacement.

Griffin’s out of contract after the 2020 season. Given Seattle’s recent record on drafting and developing cornerbacks, they’ll be wary of letting him walk and needing to find a replacement. Especially given their preference not to use high picks at the position or spend big money in free agency.

At the same time, what exactly is his market?

Presumably his camp would point to recent contracts dished out to Darius Slay and Byron Jones. Slay is now earning $16.7m a year in Philadelphia, with Jones on $16.5m. Those are the two top contracts in the league — with Xavien Howard ($15m), James Bradbury ($14.5m), Patrick Peterson ($14m) and Marcus Peters ($14m) following.

Griffin could, not unfairly, point to those deals and expect to be paid in that range. Yet it would be a considerable sum to commit to a player who, while improved, has not shown to be much of a playmaker or difference maker.

He’s not a field-tilter. He’s a solid starter. Ideally, he’d be a really useful #2 cornerback. So far, however, he’s not proven to be a bona fide #1. In three seasons he has only three interceptions in 45 games. That’s incredible. Two of those picks came in one game against a struggling Mitchell Trubisky. The other came on a truly horrendous pass from Drew Stanton — where he somehow managed to throw it so close to both Griffin and Earl Thomas, they almost ran into each other.

Hopefully his 2019 improvement is the prelude to an even bigger jump in 2020. Yet he’s also three years into his career. This might be what he is. It’s possible that he improved to a peak level last season. We’ll find out in a few months.

Unless they’re willing to make him one of the top 2-3 paid cornerbacks in the league now — a new deal before the season seems unlikely. They need to see more. There’s also no motivation for Griffin to accept a team-friendly deal when he could cash in next year.

It means they run the risk of losing him and creating another hole. They have the protection of the franchise and transition tags of course. The franchise tender was $16.3m this year with the transition tender was $14.1m. That provides some security, especially with Chris Carson the only other realistic candidate for either.

Quinton Dunbar is also a free agent at the end of the 2020 season but it’s pretty hard to talk about tags given his current situation. He’s also missed 14 games in the last two seasons and needs to prove he can stay healthy if he even makes the field before we talk about possible extensions. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility though that the Seahawks lose both their provisional starting cornerbacks after 2020 or need to invest major money to keep them.

Tre Flowers is now battling for playing time. We’ll see how creative the Seahawks want to be to fill their nickel role which has been left totally ignored so far this off-season. Carroll says they have a plan. It could mean Dunbar or Griffin shifting inside when they want to play nickel — with Flowers coming on to play outside. They could work game-to-game depending on matchups too. Yet despite complaints from many fans they appear destined to remain mostly in base defense given they’re spending $25m on Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright this year and just used a first round pick on Jordyn Brooks.

Certainly they should have a more serious plan than simply hoping Ugo Amadi improves at nickel. The Green Bay playoff game was an alarming wake-up call that this is a safety converting to one of the most difficult positions in the game. There’s nothing wrong with trying to develop him into a nickel — but we also have to accept there’s serious work to be done here.

At safety, they have an above average starting duo in Diggs and McDougald if they can stay healthy. Many fans are desperate to see Blair overtake McDougald. Certainly for the investment (round two pick) you would hope that was possible. Yet all Blair really showed as a rookie was the ability to hit — which wasn’t a surprise to anyone who saw his Utah tape. He seeks out contact and delivers sledgehammer tackles.

That’s a huge boost and something Pete Carroll clearly cherishes. For all the talk among some fans about Carroll’s conservatism, he has a child-like exuberance for the fundamental ‘exciting’ things a game of football can produce. He loves, like many, a beautifully executed deep throw, a scrambling quarterback extending plays, a running back breaking tackles and fighting for yards after contact and the raw, legal violence of a bone-crunching hit.

We’ve also seen, through Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Kam Chancellor, how those three elements can provide the foundation of a Championship team and truly energise a whole roster.

Yet Blair’s ability to provide the hits can’t come at the expense of poor execution of the scheme. Seattle’s defense isn’t complex. It doesn’t use a ton of exotic blitzes and formations. It demands discipline and everyone has to be in the right place at the right time. Mastering the scheme is crucial and for anyone wondering why Blair didn’t play more despite his exciting hits — there’s your reason.

It’s not overly concerning. Earl Thomas’ year one struggles are well publicised. Thomas was simply too good, playing in what amounted to an expansion roster in 2010, not to start. Chancellor was redshirted as a rookie. The fact Blair struggled with the scheme isn’t a big worry at the moment. Now he has to take a big step forward in 2020 and get on the field. If he fails, the second-guessing over Seattle’s trade-down fest in the 2019 draft — taking them out of range for Johnathan Abram — will be rife.

This is a key year for Blair who must take a step forward — just as much as L.J. Collier. They were Seattle’s two highest picks last year — before even D.K. Metcalf. They should feel pressure to contribute.

Quandre Diggs provides the best combination of talent and value on Seattle’s entire defense. His cap hits this year and next are no higher than $5.5m. If he plays most of the regular season games and continues to perform well — he might be the first to receive an extension among the group. He has quickly established a leadership role and has flashed competence, toughness and playmaking.

Bradley McDougald is a free agent at the end of the season. He turns 30 this year but it’ll be very difficult for the Seahawks to let him walk if he continues to perform to the level of the past two seasons and Blair fails to make an impression.

The one thing every member of this group has is a motivation to play well. For Griffin and Dunbar it’s about a new contract. For Blair it’s about proving he was worth a second rounder. For Flowers it’s about showing he belongs having been essentially usurped as a starter. For Diggs it’s about developing into one of Seattle’s core players and potentially earning a large new contract in the off-season. For McDougald it’s staving off the younger competition and earning a third contract in Seattle. Amadi needs to show he can be make the nickel position his home.

This can be a good thing. It certainly feels like the Seahawks are banking on that added motivation making up for some talent deficiencies elsewhere.

It would’ve been nice to see a highly motivated secondary also given the protection of improved D-line play. To their credit, the 2019 secondary forced 10 interceptions despite their top corner recording zero. Seeing how they’d perform with a much improved pass rush on the field would’ve been interesting.

Alas that might not be the case. Yet some of these players have to emerge as long term solutions for the Seahawks. They have to increase the number of trusted core players beyond the commitments to just Wilson and Wagner. They can’t be spending $60m a year on hopeful punts and journeymen. They need to start finding players who warrant being part of the foundation of this roster.

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Brandon Shell was benched by the Jets in 2019

The Seahawks went into the off-season with Pete Carroll once again noting the importance of consistency on the offensive line.

Yet there’s a reasonable chance they’ll begin the 2020 season with four new starters.

When the Seahawks travelled to London in 2018 I asked Carroll about the importance of retaining J.R. Sweezy and D.J. Fluker. Both were playing on one-year deals. Both were making a positive impression on a much improved O-line. The Seahawks could run the ball again after a disastrous 2017 season. Although the line was far from one of the best in the league — it’d taken a significant step forward.

Carroll’s answer is quite interesting to reflect on. He called them members of the new core. They were going to be part of the foundation of what was emerging during the reset.

Yet 18 months later both were gone.

It’s indicative of what has been Seattle’s problem since that 2018 season. Players assumed to be part of the new core — Fluker, Sweezy, Frank Clark — have left the team. Some others have emerged, such as D.K. Metcalf. But not enough. Their key players are mostly carry-overs from the previous incarnation — Wilson, Wagner, Wright, Lockett — with some others who straddled both eras (Carson, Griffin).

If the aim from 2018 was to build and craft a new group — it’s not really happened.

The O-line in particular appears to be facing a crossroads. By moving on from Justin Britt, Germain Ifedi and Fluker they could improve the unit. Ifedi was a fixture for four years but had to settle for a veteran minimum contract as a free agent. Britt is currently unemployed and recovering from a knee injury — and who knows what the future holds there? Fluker will fight for a roster spot in Baltimore but didn’t have a good 2019 season.

They haven’t exactly lost Jones, Hutchinson and Tobeck.

The thing is, there’s such a striking unknown about the replacements.

Brandon Shell is a carbon copy of Ifedi in terms of size and profile. He was benched by the Jets last season but now possesses a two-year $11m contract in Seattle. People will joke he can’t be any worse than Ifedi but there’s at least a chance he might not be a significant improvement or any good.

He doesn’t need to be a pro-bowler to be a worthy addition — he just needs to tie up his side of the line, not give away the high number of penalties Ifedi conceded and refrain from being a liability. Most people can’t name more than five or six right tackles in the NFL. Not being bad isn’t a high bar for Shell but it’s funny how often it proves a challenging obstacle for a number of offensive linemen.

B.J. Finney will presumably be first in line to replace Justin Britt. We are not talking about a proven commodity at center, however. In 2017 he was a swing backup guard or center, starting one game at left guard. In 2018 he was a backup guard — starting twice at right guard. The Steelers liked him enough to place a second round tender on him a year ago and he started some games at center too. Yet we’re not talking about a player who’s been anything more than versatile depth up to this point in his career.

Can he be a consistent, quality starting center? That’s not a question anyone can answer positively with any conviction. We need to wait and see. His competition isn’t exactly fierce either. Joey Hunt is a serviceable but limited center and Ethan Pocic has struggled to stay healthy or have any impact in his three years in the league.

I’m a big fan of Damien Lewis and believe the Seahawks stole a top-50 player in round three of the draft. He’s tough, physical and has the potential to become a long-term contributor. He could start as a rookie. For once the Seahawks didn’t go for a player who can play multiple positions. They took a player who is a pure, 100% right guard. He’s not going to be moved around the line or spend three years finding his fit. He’s a right guard. Plain and simple.

He’s also a rookie. And even if the pick ends up being a roaring success down the line, there’s an opportunity for some growing pains — especially when he’s likely going to slot between two other new additions in Finney and Shell. He’ll have to compete with another new signing — Chance Warmack — to start in 2020.

The re-signing of Mike Iupati will provide an opportunity for some consistency at left guard. It’s possible they felt obliged to add him to at least avoid almost a clean sweep of changes up front. It’s very difficult to insert four new starters into an offensive line in one off-season. Iupati’s main competition will be Phil Haynes — although both players were hampered by injuries in 2019.

Duane Brown is probably the second most important player on the team. You can make an argument for Bobby Wagner but the Seahawks just spent a first round pick on a middle linebacker. If Brown gets hurt, as he did last year, the offense could implode. It could easily look as bad as it did against Arizona in week 16.

It’s one of the big head-scratching moments of the off-season really. They spent $60m and not only failed to adequately boost the defensive line (and still have a hole at defensive tackle to this day) — they don’t have a serious Plan B if Brown gets injured.

Admittedly it’s hard enough to find one capable starting left tackle, let alone two. Arguably their failure to properly address the defense in free agency took away any realistic chance to draft a tackle in the first three rounds. They zoned in on Shell and Cedric Ogbuehi in free agency and then moved on.

This is a problem due to Brown’s age. He’s 35 in August and while he insists he’s healthy and raring to go this season — the injuries were starting to stack up last year. The Seahawks aren’t a team like the Titans, with a long term fixture at left tackle who you can realistically expect to play 16 games. Brown is at a point in his career where injuries aren’t going to be surprising. That places a greater importance on having a solid backup. It’s a position you need to invest in. Ideally it’s a fairly highly drafted player you can develop to be a successor.

The Seahawks haven’t invested in a heir apparent or a serious, relatively proven backup. They merely signed Ogbuehi.

The addition was both understandable and curious. They needed to replace George Fant and Ogbuehi at least has some experience of being the sixth linemen in Jacksonville. It’s not quite so clear why he earned a pay increase from $895,000 to $2.237m based on the 155 snaps he had last season. Was demand really that high for a player who had to accept the veteran minimum as a free agent a year ago? For a player who was a first round bust and has endured an injury history? Nevertheless, he fits the Fant mould fairly well.

His addition as the likely backup left tackle though feels like yet another reclamation project that is going to predictably go the same way as all the other ones over the years. It has to be hoped that he never has to play left tackle. It’s fair to say that for all the talent on Seattle’s offense — Wilson, Carson, Lockett, Metcalf, Olsen, Dissly — they’re relying on the health of a 35-year-old left tackle to hold things together.

It means that even in the one position where you feel good about the talent and the experience and the consistency — there’s still a question mark. Again, having spent $60m and having possessed four picks in the first three rounds — it was reasonable to think this would be a target position for investment.

Much has been made of Seattle’s numbers on the O-line. They currently have 17 on the roster. For all the talk of mass competition, however, the starting five seem fairly set with the only real challenge being between Iupati and Haynes and Lewis and Warmack (who was out of the league last year). Most of the 17 are camp bodies. If you had to pick 10 to make it, your guess today will probably be more or less spot on.

It’s also understandable if fans sense a little bit of déjà vu. In 2016 the Seahawks tried to fill holes on the O-line by adding cost-effective starters Bradley Sowell and J’Marcus Webb. Then in 2017 they spent money on a reclamation project in Luke Joeckel and added Oday Obushi, before using a high pick on Ethan Pocic. Finney, Shell, Ogbuehi and Lewis feels, unfortunately, like an eerily similar plan.

Much of the talk this off-season has quite rightly been about the underwhelming moves on the D-line. Yet the lack of action there would’ve been more understandable if there’d been a concerted spending effort on the O-line. If they’d gone out and really added proven quality, such as a Jack Conklin, it still might not’ve been the best use of resources with the pass rush so inept in 2019. At least, however, you could justify the investment in the O-line. Big moves are big moves. Improving your team is improving your team.

The problem with this off-season is they’ve spent $60m and they might not be better on either line. And yet these are the two areas where they really needed to improve.

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Chris Jones remains without a long term extension in Kansas City

In the latest Brock and Salk podcast, Brock Huard suggested the reason Jadeveon Clowney hasn’t been signed so far is due to a long-lasting knee issue.

This has clearly impacted his market, on top of Clowney’s own personal demands. Nobody has given him a big contract or even a compromise deal that was sufficient to break the stalemate. According to Jason La Canfora, the much-hyped ‘mega offer’ from Cleveland was only worth $12m a year.

It’s clear teams are interested — they’re just not willing to commit the big money. The Seahawks admitted, many times, that they wanted him back:

They also didn’t move on and sign someone else. They waited for Clowney and clearly wanted to bring him back — only on their terms.

Nobody has ever revealed definitively what the issue is. How much did the Seahawks offer? That’d be a great question to know the answer to.

Without that knowledge we can only speculate. An educated guess would be the following:

— The Seahawks did prioritise Clowney just as they said — but they also perhaps anticipated the lukewarm market that was on the horizon

— Relative to the limited interest elsewhere, they made an offer that was competitive but was also much more modest than Clowney expected

— The idea behind the modest deal was perhaps to protect themselves against the injury situation and presumably they thought after a period of reflection Clowney would could to terms with the situation and re-sign with the team he enjoyed playing for in 2019

— Instead, unexpectedly, he decided not to do this and has instead essentially taken himself off the market and refused to sign for the amounts being offered

— Because of the injury history and the fact we’re now in June and most of the money has been spent, it’s hard to predict what happens next because nobody is going to make a big offer now. Yet what amount is Clowney actually going to agree to?

It’s such a strange situation. I can’t recall anything like this. And as I’ve said before — I don’t think you can really criticise either party for the stalemate. Clowney is well within his rights to say no to any offer he receives and not be ‘forced’ into a deal he doesn’t like. Equally, the team doesn’t have to commit huge sums to a player if the market isn’t there and they have concerns about his longevity.

The criticism comes in Seattle’s inability to draw a line under it and move on. Had they signed, for example, Dante Fowler and Everson Griffen instead — it’d be a lot more understandable than what they’ve done (keep hanging on then try and solve the biggest problem on the team with journeymen).

As noted a few days ago — they only have about $5-6m to play with now. They can create more, either by cutting Branden Jackson or by asking players like Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett to restructure their contracts. For that reason, there’s still some slight hope that Clowney could return albeit on a short-term deal.

They badly need to do something though.

A year ago they went into pre-season with a pass rush consisting of Jacob Martin, Cassius Marsh, Barkevious Mingo and Rasheem Green. L.J. Collier was injured and Ziggy Ansah was still recovering. The unit was inept. The current group is not as weak as their 2019 counterparts. It’s still a major stretch to think Benson Mayowa, Bruce Irvin and a couple of rookies are going to prevent this team having another year of toil and struggle on the defensive line.

They need an impact player. Add one to the current cast and while it still won’t be among the leagues top units — at least there’s half a chance of the pass rush not being a glaring liability again.

In 2019 the Seahawks were bailed out by the Clowney trade. It was a gift. The chances of history repeating are slim.

They might need to be a bit more proactive.

In researching the 2021 draft class so far — it’s not unfair to judge that it looks top heavy. It looks relatively strong at receiver and tight end but weak in the trenches.

You never get a clear picture a year in advance and a full college season is needed to get a proper angle on the depth and talent available. Yet who knows what the 2020 college season is going to be like? Will every team play? Will every player play?

Is it going to be harder to judge the prospects?

It might not be the worst thing in the world for Seattle to use the resource of their top pick in 2021 to try and find a player who can help now. A proven commodity.

We’ve seen big trades happen before and during a season recently. Laremy Tunsil, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey were all dealt (along with Clowney). The Seahawks essentially need to find their answer to Fitzpatrick. Not a safety per se — just a defensive impact player who can bring the group together.

Fitzpatrick provided a major impact in Pittsburgh. Their defense carried the team while they rotated quarterbacks and scrambled their way from top-five pick to playoff outsiders.

The Seahawks can quickly go from good to great by making a similar addition.

Because of Seattle’s limited cap resources this year, it’ll need to either be someone on a rookie deal in 2020 or someone who can be extended long term to lower their cap hit this year.

The obvious place to start is the franchise tagged players.

It’s hard to imagine the Seahawks targeting Yannick Ngakoue after drafting Darrell Taylor and signing Mayowa and Irvin. They need someone who can play across on the other side. The Jaguars also seem intent on repeating the Earl Thomas mistake — holding onto a player who you intend to part with, asking for too much and in the end having to settle for a third round comp pick.

Matt Judon is similarly only playing in the low 260’s. He also turns 28 this year and arguably doesn’t have the upside to warrant a long, expensive extension.

Leonard Williams and the Giants don’t seem any closer to a new contract. It’s not been a smooth ride for both parties this year and it’s debatable whether he has a long term future in New York. It’s also questionable whether he’s shown enough in his career to warrant an expensive contract to lower his 2020 cap hit.

The name that clearly stands out is Chris Jones. The Chiefs might struggle to fit him into their future given they’ll need to make Patrick Mahomes the richest player in NFL history soon. They’re also tied to Frank Clark’s massive contract for two more years and won’t be in any rush to move on from their top weapons on offense.

Equally, do they really want to trade such a vital player? Jones was a difference maker in the Super Bowl and they could easily believe keeping him for one more year and possibly winning back-to-back Super Bowls is more valuable than getting a high pick in the 2021 draft.

It would also take an enormous contract in the Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald range to sign Jones to an extension. He would have all the leverage in negotiations. He’s exactly the type of player Seattle needs — someone who disrupts the interior, plays well enough against the run and can win games on defense. He only turns 26 in July so he’s at a good age. It’s just hard to imagine the Chiefs parting with him and the Seahawks being prepared to pay him about $23m a year.

In terms of free agents set for 2021, forget about Joey Bosa. He’s a truly elite, star player on a team that needs stars to pay-off the move to LA. With a rookie quarterback in place they could franchise him multiple times if needed. He’s not going anywhere and probably quite likes being close to his brother.

The Packers aren’t going to trade Kenny Clark and the Steelers aren’t letting T.J. Watt or Cameron Heyward go anywhere.

Solomon Thomas hasn’t lived up to expectations and we’re unlikely to see the 49ers help out the Seahawks. Jonathan Allen was supposedly a target for Seattle in the 2017 draft but it’d be a bit surprising to see Washington deal him after investing so much to build up their D-line. He’s the type of player they need, however. There were concerns about a neck injury going into the draft which is why he lasted to #17 overall.

The options aren’t great — which could mean the painful wait for Clowney continues. Suspect knee or not — he’s still the best mix of talent, potential value and impact.

Going into the season without him though — or any further additions other than a cheap stop-gap defensive tackle — would make it very difficult for the Seahawks to take a step forward on defense.

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With the Seahawks still needing to add players before the season begins, the financial future of the league is worth keeping an eye on.

NFL.com has published an article highlighting the implications of coronavirus.

Under the terms of the CBA, the salary cap is tied to league growth. With the NFL facing a loss of revenue just like every other sport, there’s an issue to address:

Currently, the league and NFLPA are studying how the revenue could be affected and what the sure-fire losses will look like. That’s one reason why there have been barely any contract extensions and few free agents have been signed after the initial free agency period.

The goal is to make sure the salary cap goes up or at worst stays flat. But what if that’s not possible?

The language used in an article published on the NFL’s own website is encouraging. While other sports face crippling financial issues, the extent of the NFL’s problem seems to be whether or not the salary cap merely stays the same in 2021.

There’s a lot of positive talk about the league starting on time. They’ve already published a full schedule for the 2020 season. Mike Florio — who was outspoken in his opposition to free agency and the draft continuing as normal, posted a piece a month ago claiming the season would take place.

He even suggested the following:

As to the stadiums, it’s also believed that they will be open to fans, with a strong preference for open stadiums from Week One.

Revenue will be lost if the league has to be played behind closed doors or with a restricted attendance. Nobody knows for sure where we’ll be in September. Yet there appears to at least be optimism that some fans can attend games.

If there is a loss of revenue however, the NFL seems to have a plan in place:

Among the possibilities for how to smooth the cap out given expected losses is borrowing from future TV deals. New deals usually create a spike in the cap due to influx of cash, but in this case could be used to create a smooth incline and make up for losses incurred during the 2020 season. The league and the NFLPA could also agree to curtail or eliminate performance-based pay for a few years.

But some have proposed looking at the present, instead of the future, for relief. And this will require cooperation between the NFL and NFLPA.

The players’ union would have to agree to give back some money this year, thus taking on some pain in the short term to offset more in the long term. With roster bonuses, workout bonuses, option bonuses and signing bonuses already paid in the spring, the trim would likely come from the players’ base salaries, which are paid in weekly installments during the season. It’s unclear at this point, with negotiations not even underway, how big of a cut the league would request and what kind of structure the players would accept for the giveback.

The timeline for a plan to be firmed up is training camp. Whether the league borrows from the future or gives some back from the present, there’s a realistic prospect the cap will — at the very least — stay where it is for 2021.

That’s a good thing for the Seahawks if they want to make any further additions this year. They’re down to about $5-6 million in true cap space and will need to borrow from the future to make the kind of sizeable improvement to the D-line most people accept is still required.

According to Overthecap, the Seahawks are in the second tier of ‘cap health’ for 2021. They have a lot of money available in the future and they might need to use it.

Unfortunately, you’re not likely to see much action until a resolution is reached.

Jason La Canfora notes the following:

No one I spoke to expects things to change in terms of spending habits until there is more clarity about what the 2020 season will actually look like. Wallets have largely been abandoned indefinitely in NFL front offices. Sure, things might still work out well for Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson – but they are extremes as generational QB talents with significant leverage. They are not the rule, and for guards like Brendan Scherff or Joe Thuney, who were sitting on $16M tenders, they were smart to sign that bad boy a while back.

Assuming they hold out hope of signing reasonable contracts, the likes of Jadeveon Clowney and Everson Griffen are unlikely to be signed until the league really knows where it’s at.

On Clowney, La Canfora had this interesting nugget about his recently reported ‘mega offer’ from the Browns (that he rejected):

The word throughout the agent community is that the reportedly “super lucrative” deal he turned down from the Cleveland Browns would have been worth $12M at its base. That’s a far cry from the over $20M a year Clowney initially wanted on a long-term deal. It’s also well below the $16.8M franchise tag that fellow edge defender Matthew Judon just signed with the Ravens last week. It’s not even close, actually.

If his best offer really was $12m a year, that’s pretty incredible. It also justifies Clowney’s stance on not signing with anyone. It would make him the 20th best paid defensive lineman (and that’s not including the outside linebacker types). He’d be on a par with Justin Houston. It’s five million a year less than Olivier Vernon.

You could argue the injuries limit his value. Which is understandable for every team other than the Seahawks. They presumably gave him a medical when the trade was completed a year ago. They also had access to his medical information throughout the season.

With all of this knowledge, they still referred to him (several times) as a high priority.

If they didn’t offer more than $12m a year, considering the amount they’ve paid for other players this off-season, that would be extremely surprising. It would be nice to know definitively what their best offer was. Because how they’ve handled dealing with the pass rush dilemma this off-season is one of the more confusing situations of the Carroll/Schneider era.

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The Seahawks need more from L.J. Collier in 2020

A lot of people are still holding out hope the Seahawks can make another pass rush signing before training camp. But how likely is it?

The answer is — not very likely.

With Carlos Hyde’s $2.75m cap hit now on the books, Spotrac has Seattle at $13,810,312 in cap space. Over the cap projects $13,985,255.

Most of it is already accounted for in terms of the rookie class, injured reserve and other bits and pieces. That takes up about $8m.

Realistically the Seahawks have between $5-6m to spend. They still have to replace Al Woods. It would be staggering if they went into next season with only Jarran Reed, Poona Ford, Bryan Mone and Demarcus Christmas at defensive tackle. A signing will be made and it might take up most of the remaining cap room.

For those hoping they still have the flexibility to sign Jadeveon Clowney or Everson Griffen — they don’t. There’s only one semi-realistic scenario where I can see it (and I’ll come back to that later).

They’ve used nearly $60m on additions and retentions this year. They’ll go beyond $60m when they sign a defensive tackle.

The Seahawks have chipped away and chipped away. Now, their roster is pretty much set. This is what we have to judge their off-season by.

It’s often suggested that the Seahawks can cut players to create extra room. This is technically true — but it’s highly questionable whether it’s likely.

Take K.J. Wright for example. Had the Seahawks decided to part ways at the start of the off-season, they would’ve saved $7.5m in cap space. Due to the terms in his contract, they would now only save $6.5m.

You might suggest it’s only a million dollars’ difference. Yet surely if you were going to part with Wright this off-season, you’d do it when it was most financially beneficial? Wright’s sizeable $10m cap hit wasn’t hidden in the shadows.

Furthermore, it’d be quite the thing to do to a player who has given so much to the Seahawks. Cutting him now would severely limit his ability to latch on somewhere else. It’d likely go down poorly with key players on the roster, such as Bobby Wagner. It’s just not the type of thing this franchise does.

If they were going to move on from Wright, it would’ve happened (at the latest) the day after the draft when they cut Justin Britt and D.J. Fluker.

They are prepared to retain Wright and are destined to use $25m of their 2020 cap space on two linebackers, to go along with the first round pick they used on Jordyn Brooks.

The Seahawks can trim their roster in other ways to free up room. Again though, it doesn’t seem very likely.

If Clowney or Griffen were signed, the obvious thing to do would be to cut Branden Jackson and save $2.1m. Yet it’s only $2.1m. It’s not a significant enough amount to make a move realistic.

People have touted the idea of parting with several of the players they’ve already retained — such as Jacob Hollister, David Moore, Joey Hunt and Luke Willson.

They’re not going to cut Hunt and lose a valued backup center. The more likely cut would be Ethan Pocic, saving $1m. Hunt has been somewhat reliable, they trust him and Pocic has not shown anything in three years.

Clearly the Seahawks value Hollister, otherwise they wouldn’t have given him the second round tender and secured his services for an eye watering $3.259m. They could’ve given him the original round tender, which was cheaper, and still retained the ability to match any offer he received. They didn’t — they basically hung a ‘hands off’ sign around his neck.

Rather than see him as a likely sacrifice this summer, I think it’s more likely that they simply value what he offers. He’s a different kind of target to the other tight ends on the roster. Whether he has upside or not — there was some chemistry with Russell Wilson in 2019 and he made some significant plays. Enough, it seems, to want to give him a second year in the offense.

At the very least he seems destined to be with the team in camp. If the other TE’s charge ahead and he struggles in the competition, all bets are off. But at this stage he’s much more likely to be a featured aspect of the offense than trade or cut fodder.

Someone like David Moore would be more expendable if they re-sign Josh Gordon. However, the overall saving wouldn’t be much even if Gordon agrees to a veteran minimum deal. Luke Willson’s contract is only $887,500.

I don’t think it’s likely any of these players will be shifted to create room.

There’s only really one scenario where they can fit in a Clowney or Griffen.

Firstly, it would mean cutting Branden Jackson and using his $2.1m salary on a defensive tackle. Is someone like Snacks Harrison or Brandon Mebane willing to play for as little as $2.1m? That’s questionable.

It would leave about $5-6m to spend on a pass rusher. Either Clowney or Griffen would then need to be willing to play for that sum of money or they’d have to be willing to sign a multi-year deal with a low year-one cap hit.

That’s basically the only realistic scenario — short of hacking away at the depth they’ve invested so much in this off-season.

On Clowney — it’s possible you can get him on a three or four year agreement with a cap hit as low as $6m in year one. Frank Clark’s cap hit last year was $6.5m after all, despite his massive new contract in Kansas City. It’d mean the Seahawks committing big money to Clowney down the line though — which we already know they’re unwilling to do.

For Griffen — he turns 33 in December. A long term contract seems unlikely unless it’s heavily weighted in favour of the team. It’s unclear what his market is. He might be willing to play for as little as $5m, depending on what other interest he’s receiving.

This could’ve been a very different off-season. I still believe that the Seahawks thought they’d be able to find some common ground with Clowney earlier in the process and get a deal done. My guess is once he determined he was being undervalued and set up the stalemate that remains in place, they were somewhat caught off-guard.

I don’t think they really had a Plan B of any great substance. I don’t think they invested much time in negotiating with the Robert Quinn’s and Dante Fowler’s. I think Jarran Reed and Clowney were the early priorities, plus some O-line reinforcements, and then you let the rest of free agency come to you.

Instead they were left waiting for Clowney. Which they did. They waited. But with no end in sight they’ve been forced to fill their remaining holes, chipping away.

Some will blame Clowney. Some will blame the team for not simply moving on earlier and signing other players. Either way, there simply isn’t the money available to add another pass rusher barring a dramatic turn of events.

If that’s the case, they’re relying on Benson Mayowa, Bruce Irvin, L.J. Collier, Rasheem Green, Jarran Reed and two rookies to try and turn one of the NFL’s worst pass rush units into a non-liability.

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Earlier this week I received an email from regular contributor in the comments section Bobby K. He asked me if the community on this website could offer some assistance and I was very happy to oblige. I’ll let him explain in his own words what he needs from us. I hope you’ll all get involved. Bob and Kenny deserve our support.

If you want a bit of background information, check out the video above.

*****************************************

A message to the community from Bobby K,

I was approached by former Seahawks safety Kenny Easley last August about helping him write his autobiography. Though I feel unqualified from a journalistic perspective, it was an opportunity I could not decline.

I would like to ask Seahawks fans, you, for your help. The people who comment here are knowledgeable and I respect you all greatly. I am only one person and I believe our manuscript has a lot of great information. However, I’m here to ask you, the fans, what you would be most interested in reading in his autobiography? Maybe I have already covered it but I can’t help but think I could possibly be unintentionally missing something that may be of interest.

For those of you who remember those teams Easley played on, what are some questions you would like to see answered in the book?

If you are too young to remember that decade but care about Seahawks history, what are some things you would like to learn about?

These questions do not have to be only about the Seahawks years (1981-1987). They can be about growing up in Virginia, going to school at UCLA, his post-Seahawks career, Ring of Honor, Hall of Fame, etc.

I am going to read every comment and take notes on what can be added and relay this information to the original Enforcer. Your voice will be heard.

If you have a great question, your answer may not appear in the book. I don’t want you to think I didn’t ask. He doesn’t remember every detail. For example, I wanted to write about the Monday Night Football game vs. Bo Jackson and the Raiders from 1987. People remember that as the Bo Jackson running over Brian Bozworth game. However, as much as I would like to write about it – we just can’t.

Anyway, thank you for your consideration, thanks to Rob for the forum, and I would like to give an early thank you to all of you who comment below.

Sincerely,

Bob Kaupang (BobbyK)