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

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

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

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

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

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

What’s next?

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

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

Week one. Century Link Field. On it.

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

Healthier, cleaner and ready to execute.

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

Receiver has to be a priority

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

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

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

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

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

I just don’t know what it is.

With the 6-5 Matthews breaking out, you almost get the feeling #Seahawks could use some big targets.

— Mike Sando, ESPN.com (@SandoESPN) February 2, 2015

Speaking of Baldwin (and Kearse, et al.), #Seahawks have to get better at receiver: http://t.co/Dhq7LvThAf

— Chris Cluff (@CHawk_Talk) February 2, 2015

Let’s tone down the Bevell hate

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

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

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

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

For anyone wondering, Carroll called Darrell Bevell "crucially important to our future'' today.

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) February 2, 2015

Cornerback might be a bigger need than we thought

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

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

What happens with Marshawn Lynch?

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

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

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

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

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

The Seahawks just lost the Super Bowl on one of the worst playacts in Super Bowl history. No. The worst.

— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) February 2, 2015

With under 30 seconds to go, Bill Belichick decided this was going to be it. Seattle’s offense vs New England’s defense.

Just moments after the latest crazy catch in Patriots’ Super Bowl history, the Seahawks were going in. The next play worked perfectly. A stuffed run in bounds, killing the clock. Brady is reduced to a spectator. This is it.

The Seahawks are set. They have a time out. The watching world thinks this is going to be a run. And somewhere, in the mind of whoever made the ultimate decision, that fact jumps out.

Darrell Bevell probably made the call, but I’m not going to just assume that until we get some form of confirmation. It could’ve been an audible. It’s a classic debate I’ve heard many times on Brock and Salk this year. Why do offensive coordinators over think situations? Sometimes the obvious play really is the right play.

EDIT — everyone is rushing to accept the blame, which isn’t surprising:

Carroll says he made the call not Bevell. "I said throw the ball,".

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) February 2, 2015

Darrell Bevell: "I call the plays." The plot thickens.

— Conor Orr (@ConorTOrr) February 2, 2015

ESPN – Reporting: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll took blame for INT in end zone, but QB Russell Wilson says "I put the blame on me" BEAST MODE!

— Tony Softli (@SoftliSTL) February 2, 2015

In this scenario another stuffed run and a time out would’ve been just fine. Just fine. But Seattle went for the unpredictable. A pick play with Ricardo Lockette running a slant. In fairness, the play worked to a tee. There is Lockette primed to make the play of his life. And he gets mugged. Malcolm Butler fights to the ball to be the one who gets the glory. He beats Lockette. The Patriots win.

Here’s the play. Lockette has to do a better job here:

Here's Lockette losing at the catch point https://t.co/SxXGIfNOV2

— Danny Kelly XLIX (@FieldGulls) February 2, 2015

Ultimately it kind of compounds the decision to throw it. You’re going to put the Championship on a short throw to Lockette in traffic with a time out remaining? It was asking for trouble. It would’ve been so much easier to stomach if they’d just at least run it one more time and used that time out. This wasn’t a desperation play call. The whole situation was in Seattle’s control.

Breathtaking.

The look on Richard Sherman’s face said it all. Total disbelief, a little anger, a heck of a lot of frustration.

One play (or one play call) will be the talk of Seattle sports for an entire off-season. I do quickly want to add another perspective.

The Seahawks had a ten point second half lead and all the momentum. On offense they were moving the ball at will and the usual second-half adjustments had slowed down Brady and the Patriots offense. It was drifting towards a comfortable victory. Then two things happened:

1. The offense stalled
Three consecutive possessions ended very quickly with no time taken off the board. Even a field goal drive at that point further tires out the Patriots and makes it an ominous looking 13-point deficit. The Seahawks failed to score a point in their final four offensive drives despite looking mostly in control. The Pats couldn’t contain Wilson, Lynch was running well. And they couldn’t finish.

2. 3rd and 14 conversion changed the game
There’s no getting away from how tough this group played with the LOB banged up, Cliff Avril out with a concussion and Jeremy Lane suffering a horrendous broken arm. But they found a way to impact the game in the second half. Brady faced a 3rd and 14 deep in his own territory. Seattle rushed the edge, left an opening in the pocket which he exploited and converted on a 21-yard strike. That drive ended in a touchdown. Game on. At the time it didn’t feel too significant. With hindsight, that was a killer. Another punt there and Seattle has field position and a chance to get that elusive score to possibly win the game.

In both situations the Seahawks hurt themselves. Throw in the way the game ended and it feels like the Seahawks gave it away. That’s the hard part. And that’s not to take anything away from a spirited New England fightback. Few teams would’ve mustered that against Seattle. The Patriots were hurting too — they were tiring. And they fought til the end. But the best finishing team in the league couldn’t finish this one. The Patriots outscored Seattle 14-0 in the final quarter.

The Seahawks were a yard away from back-to-back Championships. I cannot imagine even Brady driving down with seconds remaining to get at least a field goal. And the Wilson-to-Lockette play call will go down in Seattle sports history. Everything was set up for the win — the west coast Super Bowl, the crowd advantage, the ten point lead, Wilson driving and ready to add another chapter to his amazing story.

These moments are so rare — it’s difficult to make it this far. We’ve seen that this year, with all the adversity this team faced to make it back to the Super Bowl. To be that close — that’s the cruel aspect.

This team is young enough and good enough to win future title’s. But they won’t repeat. All because of one little yard.

I guess the only thing to say is: Onto the draft. Seattle picks 31st overall.

EDIT #2 — Reader ‘Ho Lee Chit’ has a clear breakdown of the situation here (plus a fairly relevant user name):

Carroll explained it clearly. The Hawks have a three play series in that situation that is designed to take the clock down. They put three WR’s on the field expecting NE to match up. The Patriots did not match up and went with their goal line package of heavy defenders because they knew the Hawks would just hand off to Marshawn and he would walk into the end zone. The goal line defense against the three WR set left the Hawks with no TE’s and not enough blockers. They had to throw quickly and come back for the next play. Against the heavy defense the slant route was wide open. The defender just make a miraculous play. Obviously, he had watched film and read the slant perfectly. Nine of ten times the defender cannot get there in time to stop the TD let alone intercept the ball. Carroll also said, when NE came out in their heavy defense to stop Marshawn, Pete gave the order to throw the ball rather than call time out.

Here’s Carroll’s explanation:

Carroll's explanation on the play call. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/r941DfqVg6

— Liz Mathews 710 ESPN (@Liz_Mathews) February 2, 2015

The #Seahawks have offered RB Marshawn Lynch a huge new extension, sources say. More coming on #GameDayMorning http://t.co/vu0JD2HKXo

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2015

Here’s more from Ian Rapoport:

The Seattle Seahawks not only want Marshawn Lynch around next year, but they’ve made a significant commitment to keep him on their team, possibly, for the rest of his career.

On the heels of another dominant season for the running back nicknamed “Beast Mode,” multiple sources tell me Seattle has made Lynch an offer on a huge contract extension that would keep him in a Seahawks uniform for years to come.

The deal is believed to include more than $10 million for Lynch in the 2015 season alone. Lynch currently is slated to make $5 million in 2015, the final year of what originally was a four-year, $31 million deal.

The Seahawks believe that Lynch, who has rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each of the past four seasons, has outplayed his contract, sources say. They want to reward him for his work.

This is a stunning turnaround from where the Seahawks were with Lynch earlier in the season. For a variety of issues — including Lynch’s somewhat chilly relationship with coaches, his age and his hefty salary — the expectation was that Seattle wouldn’t bring Lynch back for another season. But the way Lynch has played and led this team to another Super Bowl forced the Seahawks to reverse course.

This is obviously big news and a statement of intent with major ramifications. Presuming such a deal satisfies Lynch, the cap hit for Seattle in 2015 (currently $8.5m) will rise. The Seahawks are doing what it takes to keep one of their best players — and one of the best players in the league — on their roster.

As we discussed yesterday — who is harder to replace? Byron Maxwell, James Carpenter or Marshawn Lynch? It’s an easy question to answer. Maxwell, as the top free agent corner set to hit the market, was probably always going to be out of reach for Seattle. Replacing Carpenter might be seen as a greater draft priority. They might have to sacrifice other veterans like Zach Miller to create funds. Russell Wilson is obviously going to get paid — but is there any scope to re-up Bobby Wagner and J.R. Sweezy?

These are all questions we’ll get into in the coming days after the Super Bowl. But the big news today is — the Seahawks are pulling out all the stops to keep Beast Mode in Seattle. If he wants more money, if he wants more respect — here it is.

Now go win another Championship.

Conan O’Brien, Beast Mode apparel and not talking to the media have kept one particular Marshawn Lynch story line out of the national debate over the last few days.

Is this the end?

It could be. Pushing the NFL’s buttons this week smacks of a player with nothing to lose. Is it mere rebellion or a final middle-digit salute? Only one man truly knows.

Lynch still has his confidants in the media — Michael Silver being one of them. Here’s what he told the NFL Network yesterday on the discussion of Beast Mode’s future in the league.

“So why is there all this tension between Marshawn Lynch and his employers — which is real — why is he so mad? Over the off-season — might not have resounded nationally — but Darrell Bevell the offensive coordinator went to a Chamber of Commerce event I believe or a season ticket holder event and made a point of saying, ‘we are going to split carries, we are going to have running back by committee’. Of course they’re high on Christine Michael and they drafted Robert Turbin the year before — and Marshawn heard that and he was kind of like, ‘hmmmm’. And then, Pete Carroll kind of reinforced that and then I think Pete said Christine Michael’s going to have a very, very prominent role and you kept hearing all the way through training camp, ‘oh man! Christine Michael!”. Well, Marshawn wanted more money and they gave him a little more — he came back — and proceeded to reinforce the fact that there’s not another Marshawn Lynch walking through that door. Because all that’s happened, I think they’ll put a band-aid on this situation and he will be there next year. Certainly they want him back at his salary for next year (currently $8.5m). Certainly he will hold out this time more forcefully if they don’t give him more. I think they’ll solve the problem and give him a few million more — which is smart business. Keep him as long as you can.”

He was then asked whether he believed Lynch was actually benched in the games he didn’t start in 2014 — or did he really have an upset stomach and/or bad back?

“No, I think it’s the opposite. I can’t prove it, but I think Marshawn Lynch picked strategic times to remind them ‘you kind of need me’. That whole ‘backfield by committee thing’ — OK. Look, he’s always been there on Sunday’s. He always plays hard. But let’s look at the season. First series against the Redskins — Monday Night Football everyone watching — Marshawn’s not in the game? Oh yeah his back’s acting up. Kansas City game was the last game they lost. It’s half-time. ‘You know what? My back’s not feeling right. I’m just going to stay on the field, out in the cold during half-time, while you all go in and talk about it’. Now that happened. And then the game you mentioned Arizona. ‘I’m not really loose maybe you should run with Turbin this quarter’. I can’t prove it, I don’t know if it’s true for sure, but I think the tension is real — I think that’s more likely.”

Silver appears to be indulging in a bit of educated speculation — there’s often an element of “I know something” about stuff like this. As in, “this is exactly the situation I’m just not spelling it out for you.” Especially when you know, as we do, that Silver is very close to the Lynch camp.

A few thoughts on this:

— If Lynch really did start playing little games (sitting out the start of the Redskins game, the whole half-time charade in KC), it fully explains the many reports suggesting Seattle had “grown tired” of Lynch’s act. Imagine having to deal with that if you’re Pete Carroll? Imagine how potentially divisive that could be? That’s not acceptable, quite frankly — whatever your beef is with the team. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that at one point during the 2014 season the Seahawks reportedly felt a divorce was inevitable.

— If Lynch really is going to “hold out more forcefully”, this situation is getting resolved in the next few weeks. I cannot imagine a scenario where the Seahawks sleepwalk into training camp, Lynch is a no-show and the drama explodes into life again. Marshawn Lynch was the 5th best paid running back in 2014 and on his current deal will almost certainly be the 6th best paid in 2015 after DeMarco Murray hits free agency (numbers via Spotrac). A pay increase of less than a million dollars will be enough to move Lynch up to #3 on the list. He’ll need an extra $3.45m to equal LeSean McCoy at #2. The Seahawks are preparing to pay Russell Wilson a +$100m contract. Starters Byron Maxwell and James Carpenter are free agents. Bobby Wagner and J.R. Sweezy are both one year away from free agency. There’s a lot of work to be done. Basically, none of the other domino’s can fall until they find out whether they can afford to meet Lynch’s demands or whether they’ll have to part ways and save $7.5m against the cap in the process. It could be a case of keep Marshawn for an extra year and lose Maxwell, Carpenter and possibly a cap-casualty like Zach Miller.

— Silver points out twice that the tension is “real”. Can it be fully repaired for one more season? This is a big point to consider here. Whether Lynch likes it or not, Russell Wilson’s placing within the Seahawks organisation is going to change when he receives the biggest contract in the NFL. Even if Andrew Luck signs an even bigger deal this off-season, Wilson is going to be a pretty close #2. His personality and leadership will define this team, at least on offense, moving forward. They cannot have players creating drama or taking themselves out of games to prove a point. The offense moving forward will, of course, remain run-based. But the personnel will be drafted and developed to mesh with Wilson the player and Wilson the character. Another year of Lynch is attractive because he’s one of the best players in the league. Yet Silver calls it a “band-aid” situation and band-aid’s fall off sometimes. The Seahawks will have to make a big decision on whether they want to risk that happening or whether it’s simply time to move on.

— Silver indicates the Seahawks will probably pony up to make sure he stays put — but is there any way at all he’s doing some of Lynch’s bidding by pointing out it’s what they should do? After all, it raises expectations. It’s seen as the right thing to do. If the Seahawks go against the grain when keeping Lynch is a possibility — they look like the bad guys. Lynch’s popularity within the fan base has never been higher. The 12’s are lapping up his approach to the media — even going as far to say, “leave him alone”. I think he’s brought a lot of the attention on himself (it’s quite easy to fade into the background — how many Tom Brady quotes have you seen this week?) and I think it’s all planned and executed to perfection. Rather than need protection, I think Lynch knows exactly what he’s doing. I don’t think he wants to conform to the league — whether it’s speaking to the media, wearing gold cleats or grabbing his crotch. This is his form of protest — and it’s effective. The fans are loving it. For the Seahawks to cut Lynch from this position, they’ll have to justify it to the most passionate fan base in the league. I wouldn’t want to write that speech.

So what if they can’t sort this out? Well, it means tomorrow could be the end. If not in Lynch’s career, at least his time in Seattle. Ultimately Silver is probably right and he’ll stay for another year. It will make it very difficult to keep Maxwell and Carpenter — or make any free agent acquisitions. It could make it harder to re-sign Wagner and/or Sweezy this year. It would put extra pressure on the draft — but the Seahawks are expected to have 10-11 picks to play with. It might be why we’re hearing about interest in Ty Sambrailo. It might put extra pressure on Seattle to draft an impact corner instead of a mere developmental prospect. They might have to cut other players like Zach Miller to make savings elsewhere.

Ultimately it might come down to this. Is it easier to replace Byron Maxwell, Zach Miller and James Carpenter or Marshawn Lynch? You probably don’t need me to answer that question.

It’s interesting how much you learn watching all-22 vs TV tape.

I came into this video a big fan of LSU’s La’el Collins, but there are certain issues you pick up here. He lets D-linemen get into his frame far too easily and is often jolted backwards on contact. He’s pretty good at recovering and holding position. But against bigger, faster and more physical pass rushers — this is going to be an issue. Where’s the punch or counter-punch? Why isn’t he the aggressor? His kick-slide isn’t fluid, it’s actually a little sluggish. Alabama don’t have great edge/speed rushers and they don’t really trouble him here. But you can really imagine this being an issue in the NFL. He’s quite upright in his stance and doesn’t often play with good leverage. He also lunges quite a bit.

It’s really hard to imagine he has a future at tackle playing this way. I’ve long felt he’d be better at guard — but this kind of emphasizes the point. He’s a guard, plain and simple.

The one positive that shows up here is the drive blocking in the run game. He’ll move people off the spot to create running lanes. It’s pretty subtle at times but look at the space on his side. He creates some big lanes that LSU didn’t capitalize on. There’s also a few blocks where he just whiffs. Look at 4:46. I mean, this is just bad. He misses the guy and then hooks him round the waist. A blatant hold.

He’s a brawler though. He gets in there and knows how to scrap and battle. I think you can work on him as a pure run blocking guard. And I think he shows enough willingness to get to the next level.

I will add that this was a top-level opponent and LSU were devoid of skill position/QB talent last season. They lost all the big guns from 2013 and tried to run the ball most downs. Alabama could attack the line with seven or eight in the box. I’m sure if we go and get all-22 tape against weaker opponents we’ll see a better game. But it’s a perspective moment that makes you think and re-consider a few things. Daniel Jeremiah has Collins down at #32 on his big board. I was thinking top-20 before I watched the video below. Now? I’m not so sure. But I’m also not so sure he’s the answer to potentially replace James Carpenter even if he makes it to the end of round one. I’m not going to set that opinion in stone on one mind-changing video. But I’ll go back and do more work. Right now I’m thinking I overrated Collins and that maybe Jeremiah is right. We’ll see. More homework needed.

Ty Sambrailo looks like he could feature in a Robin Hood film, but is he on Seattle’s radar?

We’ll ramp up the draft stuff after Sunday — from tomorrow it’s Super Bowl talk. I’ve set up an interview with former Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora. The audio should be on here at some point in the morning.

In the meantime, I wanted to bring this scenario to the table. That’s what this process is about, debating all eventualities.

Will the Seahawks go after another offensive lineman early? They have previous. Russell Okung at #6 in 2010. James Carpenter at #25 in 2011. John Moffitt was a third round pick in the same draft. Then Justin Britt in the second round last year.

Very few clubs have pumped this level of investment into the O-line. That’s often forgotten. It isn’t a cure-all solution — especially considering Seattle’s scheme and their desire to be the #1 scrambling team. The Seahawks also went big to sign Robert Gallery in 2011, re-signed Max Unger and paid Zach Miller — a great blocker — a top tight end salary.

Here’s the situation though. Miller might be a cap casualty. Carpenter is a free agent with no guarantee to return. Alvin Bailey has shown in flashes, but is he an every week starter? Is he perhaps better off as a versatile backup, capable of filling three or four different spots in a crisis?

If (and it’s a big ‘if’) they’re able to bring in a veteran receiver or tight end during free agency — while also retaining Marshawn Lynch — a case could be made for finding a replacement O-line starter in the first two rounds. Whether that means drafting a guard or drafting a tackle and then moving Britt inside.

A week ago Tony Pauline reported the Seahawks had interest in Colorado State tackle Ty Sambrailo — adding they also liked San Diego State’s Terry Poole:

With James Carpenter slated to hit the open market in two months and Russell Okung up for free agency in 2016, there’s been a long held belief the Seattle Seahawks will make offensive line a priority in April’s draft. Its been passed around the internet the team likes Colorado State’s Tyler Sambrailo, something I’ve known since October and was confirmed earlier this week. I’ve also been alerted Terry Poole of San Diego State is another tackle the team likes. Poole started slowly at Shrine practice in St Petersburg but by Thursday he was one of the better blockers on the field.

Pauline touted interest in Odell Beckham Jr and Aaron Donald a year ago — well before their stock exploded into the top-15. With hindsight it’s easy to see why Seattle would’ve been smitten with that pair — and it perhaps gives some chops to Pauline’s sources.

For me I’d like to see Sambrailo kick inside to guard. At the Senior Bowl he struggled a bit working the edge, even if he has the length and size to man the tackle spot. He has the tendency to be beaten inside and doesn’t always the make the most of his 80-inch wingspan to ward off rushers. Speed is a problem for him. But surprise surprise — he’s a really effective run blocker. He’d be a nice fit in the zone blocking scheme — he’s quick off the snap and gets a nice initial surge. He doesn’t always play with an edge.

You can emphasize some of the good points and minimize the negatives — limitations versus speed, not a great kick-slide — by moving him inside. In that sense he looks like a fit. The Seahawks seem to like these guys who can play tackle or have some experience as an edge blocker. I’ve seen him projected in the top-50 but I think that’s a stretch. He could, however, be a decent value pick at the end of round two.

Poole I don’t know much about other than he has tackle size at 6-5 and 305lbs. He might be considered more of a late round option — but people probably said the same about Britt a year ago.

There are some other intriguing options that could be available at the end of the first round. Personally I think La’el Collins belongs in the top-20 — and yet ESPN currently ranks him at #25 overall and he’s at #32 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board. There’s your ideal guard-who-can-play-tackle. He’s not unlike the Pouncey brothers. That’s another reason why I can’t see him falling.

T.J. Clemmings’ stock is unclear after an indifferent Senior Bowl. Is he too raw to go in the top-25? Or is the potential too much for certain teams to pass? At what point does Jake Fisher become an interesting option? Or Daryl Williams at Oklahoma? Is there a chance the slightly overrated Brandon Scherff lasts deep into the first round? What about Andrus Peat and Ereck Flowers? Two players I’d expect to go in the top-15 but I’ve seen ranked all over the place.

The options on the offensive line might simply be more appealing at #31 or #32 compared to some of the other current needs (receiver, tight end, D-line). We know the team trusts Tom Cable to find ‘his guys’ and there’s a chance he’ll unearth another J.R. Sweezy rather than go down the whole first round route. But it’s a debate worth having. So we’ll have it today.

Time for some good old speculative blogging.

Seahawks GM John Schneider spoke with the media yesterday and was asked about the Percy Harvin trade. This is what he had to say:

“You’re talking about a person’s livelihood. We have to do what’s best for the organization, first and foremost. We had the support of our owner, which was huge. We had discussed it for a long time with our owner. For one reason or another, it didn’t work out so we had to be able to move forward. So, the Jets got real interested. It was the Thursday night game. I was actually at the University of Missouri, and we were just able to move forward. We played the Rams that weekend.”

Harvin was traded to the Jets on October 17th. The night before New York lost a heart-breaker to the Patriots 27-25. The Seahawks played the Rams in St. Louis on the 19th.

There’s nothing untoward about Schneider visiting Mizzou. Why not? Make the trip, head over to the game on the Sunday. It’s an ideal trip. The thing is, Missouri played on the road that weekend — at Florida on Saturday the 18th. So he wasn’t attending a game. This was a different kind of visit.

There are many reasons why a GM would make that kind of trip. I won’t pretend I know them all — I don’t. For all we know it could be something as trivial as meeting a former colleague. Or it could be background checks and research. There are several Missouri players of interest entering the draft. Shane Ray is tipped to go in the top-15. Markus Golden had a good 2014 season. Lucas Vincent is an intriguing later round possibility. Even if you’re not going after a top prospect like Ray, a little background info isn’t a bad thing for future planning. You could even be asking about players likely to enter the 2016 draft — like Harold Brantley.

And then there’s Dorial Green-Beckham.

For those not familiar with the back-story (most are so I’ll be brief) — DGB was dismissed by Missouri after a string of incidents. He opted to move to Oklahoma and ultimately sit out the 2014 season instead of joining a smaller school and playing immediately. Without taking a snap for the Sooners, he chose to declare for the NFL draft earlier this month.

Every NFL team is going to need to do substantial homework on DGB. It’s not just a case of checking in with the Oklahoma staff to see how he dealt with the situation. You need to go back to Missouri and get their take on it all. Was he kicked off the team as a wake-up call? An act of tough love? Or was it more serious than that? And what does the team know about the key final charge that eventually led to his departure?

We’ve gone through the Green-Beckham debate several times. Here’s the piece we did when he declared. Was Schneider doing the rounds, or working specifically to collect information on a particular prospect?

I think this is the best way to judge the DGB situation. If the Seahawks are willing to take him at #31 or #32, I suspect someone else will draft him earlier. He’s that talented. If he makes it all the way to the end of round one, it’s probably with good reason. After the Harvin mess the last thing the Seahawks need is another troubled receiver. With Russell Wilson set to become a $100m quarterback, you’d expect any receiver coming in would have to be ready to work with zero distractions. The anti-Harvin.

And yet if there’s one thing that makes this even vaguely possible — it’s Seattle’s need for a receiver with DGB’s rare skill set and size. But again — they’re not the only team with that kind of need. He’s a unique player in this class — he has the talent to go top-15 and the red flags to go at any point in the three draft days.

A lot of the media talk will be about stopping Marshawn Lynch, but for me this game is about Russell Wilson. Let’s go back to the last time the two teams met. Lynch ran 15 times for 41 yards. Robert Turbin was Seattle’s most efficient runner with 27 yards on five carries (5.4 YPC). The Pats were facing a rookie quarterback and set out to take away the run, putting the game on Wilson. He willed the Seahawks to victory with a 310 total-yard, three touchdown performance with zero interceptions.

That was then and this is now — but the Pats first and foremost know they have to deal with Lynch and the running game all over again. They’ll study the games where Seattle struggled offensively. Green Bay at home in the NFC Championship game. The Dallas game in week six. Last year against the Cardinals. It was the same plan on each occasion — sell out to stop the run, commit extra bodies to attack the line of scrimmage and dare Wilson to beat you. It’s a risky strategy because the quarterback in a situation like this should be able to find a hot read or exploit 1v1 coverage at the second level. In the Green Bay game Wilson and the receivers struggled early, they turned the ball over and the Packers took the early initiative. New England will almost certainly set out to do the same.

Wilson isn’t at his best firing quick throws from the pocket against the blitz. Not yet, anyway. It’s year three and it’s taking him a little longer to excel in this area. It probably doesn’t help that his natural tendency — and Seattle’s coaches encourage this — is to get out of the pocket to initiate the scramble drill. When you’ve got so many bodies attacking the line, if you break contain it pretty much opens up the whole field. You’ve got the run/pass option going for the quarterback. Arizona (2013), Dallas and Green Bay (2014) all managed to contain Wilson in the pocket with their pressures. Keeping a lid on him could be the key to the game for New England. They need to force him to beat them with his arm, in the pocket under pressure. He can do it. It’ll just be much harder. Especially if the Pats successfully shut down Lynch as they did in 2012.

The Seahawks need early success in the passing game to force the Pats into heavier coverage. They consistently rushed three or four defenders against Green Bay — fearing Rodgers’ arm. He picked them apart. And sure, it’s Aaron Rodgers. But he had an insane amount of time in the pocket — and Wilson, like most competent starters, will be able to exploit that. He won’t get a chance if he doesn’t take away the stacked boxes and lack of respect for the passing game by making a few early throws or runs to force the Patriots to be a little more conservative.

One thing that might work against New England is their general lack of exposure to a quarterback like Wilson. In 2014 the most mobile quarterback they faced was Ryan Tannehill (twice). For all his mobility and running skill as a former receiver, Tannehill isn’t a scrambler. He ran six times in the two games against New England. In a week one victory (33-20) he had three carries for -2 yards.

Here are the other quarterbacks New England faced in 2014:

Matt Cassel (Minnesota), Derek Carr (Oakland), Alex Smith (Kansas City), Andy Dalton (Cincinnati), Kyle Orton (Buffalo — twice), Geno Smith (New York Jets — twice), Jay Cutler (Chicago), Peyton Manning (Denver), Andrew Luck (Indianapolis), Matt Stafford (Detroit), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), San Diego (Phillip Rivers).

Now obviously Luck and Rodgers are mobile — they’re certainly more elusive in the pocket than Tannehill. But neither is the same kind of runner (Tannehill reportedly ran a 4.58 at his pro-day) and they don’t run the read option much if at all. You have to go back to 2013 for the last time New England faced a true read-option scheme — when they lost to the Panthers and Cam Newton. It was a controversial defeat in the end, but Newton was effective running the ball (seven carries for 62 yards).

Again — New England did a good job bottling up the running game in general. Mike Tolbert had six carries for 17 yards, DeAngelo williams had six carries for 14 yards and Jonathan Stewart had four carries for ten yards. They had a plan for the running backs. But they couldn’t contain Newton — who moved around not only for his rushing yards — but for 209 passing yards and three touchdowns too. He didn’t turn the ball over.

The focus is on Lynch or Seattle’s receivers winning against Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. The greatest threat to New England is probably Wilson — as a scrambler, a runner and a pure playmaker.

Jamie Collins might be challenged with keeping an eye on Wilson, which could also work in Seattle’s favor. Collins has developed into a terrific, creative linebacker. He’ll line up inside and rush the interior. He can cover as well as any linebacker in the game. And he rushes the edge well enough to collect the odd sack. They might ask him to watch the read option or to fake the edge rush, essentially forcing Wilson to sit. That’s fine — but a containing role just seems like a waste of resource for such a fine player. So the responsibility might go to a Chandler Jones or one of the other edge rushers — and that’s a match-up Seattle might be able to exploit.

Dont’a Hightower spied Andrew Luck in the AFC Championship game and it seemed to put enough doubt in Luck’s mind to stay in the pocket. But there were a few opportunities to break into the second level and pick up yardage on the ground. I was a fan of Hightower at Alabama — but a 1v1 match-up in space vs Wilson probably isn’t going to end well. I’m not sure using the spy is necessarily a great idea here — pressure is the key, and containment off the edge.

How much the Seahawks use the read-option — and how the Patriots try to defend it — will be one of the more interesting factors in this game.

On the other side of the ball — and without wishing to state the obvious — this is where the big challenge lies for Seattle. We could key in on the masterful accuracy and poise of Tom Brady or the sheer brilliance of Rob Gronkowski. The simple fact is the mystery around New England’s game-plan is probably their greatest weapon. Are they going to focus on the run? What wrinkles are they going to throw at you? Are we going to see more of this ineligible receiver stuff to confuse and throw off an attack-minded secondary?

Last year Denver didn’t offer any surprises. They essentially ran the Peyton Manning offense. Pete Carroll had a free week to come up with an effective game plan for a scheme that was prolific yet predictable. New England are a totally different proposition. And it’s probably going to take a half for the Seahawks to get a proper grip on what they’re facing. Belichick is a master tactician and he’ll have a very detailed and effective plan to take on a Seahawks defense that is banged up and pretty predictable (yet no less prolific) itself.

I suspect the Seahawks need to keep things tight until half time. I think if they can get in at the break within a touchdown of the Pats (or better), they’ll feel good about that position. They’re a great second half team — combining key second half adjustments with the ability to physically impose their will on an opponent. Look at Clay Matthews last week — off the field for key downs in the fourth quarter because he was exhausted. And this on an off-day for the Seahawks offense. He was drained — even with the Super Bowl on the line.

Unlike that game, the Seahawks will be punished if they make mistakes. This is a Patriots team that had blow out wins in nine regular season games. They have the formula to beat Seattle — a ground game that can keep the offense off the field. They can ‘pull a San Diego’ by throwing short underneath and getting the tight end involved. They have the screen game that the Chargers used to great effect. It’d almost be a surprise if the Patriots didn’t just rip-off the game plan that is tailor made to slow down Seattle’s pass rush, get the secondary moving and then hit the big target with a few shots.

In a flash Seattle could find themselves in a hole. And they don’t want to do too much chasing. Not again. They key is to get to half time in a close game, make the usual adjustments and finish strong.