This is what a Seahawks receiver looks like after catching a football

Some interesting numbers from Advanced NFL Stats…

– Sidney Rice, earning $8.2m in 2012, has been targeted 15 times in three games. That’s good enough for 58th in NFL receivers, behind Andrew Hawkins, Michael Jenkins and Dexter McCluster. Rice has caught eight of those passes, 40% of which are considered downfield attempts.

– Golden Tate is 7oth on the list with 11 targets but missed the opening game against Arizona. 55% of his targets have been downfield throws, second highest in the NFL.

– Braylon Edwards has nine targets with five catches. Not a single one of those targets was considered a downfield throw.

– Only two tight ends have seen less targets than Zach Miller and Anthony McCoy (both thrown at eight times). In comparison, Jeff Cumberland of the New York Jets has 15 targets.

– Russell Wilson has attempted 75 passes, less than every active quarterback in the NFL not named Kevin Kolb or John Skelton. The two Arizona quarterbacks combined have thrown nine more passes than Wilson.

– Only one running back has rushed more times than Marshawn Lynch – Houston Adrian Foster. Lynch (72 carries) and Foster (79 carries) are well clear of the chasing pack. Third most active running back – Doug Martin – has 63 carries. Maurice Jones-Drew is fourth with 59 carries.

Conclusion: How can we judge if this quarterback and group of receivers are good enough if the passing game is taking such an exaggerated back seat to the running game?

I ask this question only because people are either a.) saying Seattle’s greatest need is at receiver and b.) that it’s time for Matt Flynn to start at quarterback. I’ve made the point about receivers myself, but I’m starting to question it. How can we come to that conclusion on such little evidence? Likewise, I’m not sure what you expect to see from Flynn in such an unbalanced offense?

Let’s start with the receivers.

In 2009 Sidney Rice was 4th in the NFL for receiving yards and yards per game. Only Andre Johnson, Wes Welker and Miles Austin were ranked higher. Sure, the Vikings had the good version of Brett Favre that year. But Rice, when healthy, showed he can be a truly effective NFL receiver. He was a big-play threat too, with only Vincent Jackson and Robert Meachem earning a higher yards per target average. Nobody has ever questioned Rice’s quality, just his ability to stay healthy. Considering he’ll earn $9.7m in both 2013 and 2014, the team will need to feel he’s having a big enough impact to justify that salary. When he signed the deal, Pete Carroll and/or John Schneider clearly felt he could be a defining piece of the offense.

Zach Miller’s cap hit in 2012 is $7m and it’ll rise to a humongous $11m in 2013. By the end of the 2012 season Miller will have cost the Seahawks $10m. Another way of looking at it is $1m per three catches and zero touchdowns. He’s played 18 games, most of which he’s acted as a third offensive tackle. Before he moved to Seattle, he was Oakland’s top receiver by some distance in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Again, when he signed the deal, Pete Carroll and/or John Schneider clearly felt he could be a defining piece of the offense.

Golden Tate has cost Seattle just $2.06m in salary to date, with the final year of his rookie contract worth $880k in 2013. He also cost the Seahawks an important second round pick in the 2010 draft – Carroll and Schneider’s first with the team. Interesting fact – had the Seahawks not traded for Charlie Whitehurst, they would’ve had the opportunity to draft Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham or Aaron Hernandez. Even with the Whitehurst trade, they had a shot at Graham and Hernandez. Tate has so far produced five career touchdowns for the Seahawks, 13 less than Graham and Hernandez combined for in 2011 alone. Not that anyone expected Tate to produce similar numbers, but people perhaps expected more than they’ve seen so far. After all, he won the Biletnikoff Award at Notre Dame as the nations top college receiver and accumulated 25 receiving touchdowns in 2008 & 2009. The team lacked playmakers in 2010 and Seattle’s front office clearly believed Tate could change that.

The point I’m getting at here is, these guys have proven production. In the case of Rice and Miller, it’s proven NFL production. Throw in the promise of Doug Baldwin and Anthony McCoy and this should be a group that you feel comfortable with. Sure, there isn’t the superstar high draft pick who legitimises a unit by reputation alone. Yet there should be enough talent to at least form the basis of a decent passing offense. This isn’t the Cleveland Browns where finding legitimate receivers is beyond a crucial need. It’s just in Seattle, these guys aren’t getting a chance to really show what they can do.

I would argue it’s the same situation at quarterback. Robert Griffin III (+14), Ryan Tannehill (+27), Brandon Weeden (+40) and Andrew Luck (+47) all have more passing attempts than fellow rookie Russell Wilson. Pete Carroll has admitted he’s trying to limit turnovers at the moment and I believe him when he says it’d be the same situation for Matt Flynn. It’s not an individual issue at the quarterback position – it’s a scheme decision. It’s worth noting that Seattle has a better record than Griffin’s Redskins, Tannehill’s Dolphins, Weeden’s Browns and Luck’s Colts. Tannehill, Weeden and Luck have combined for 14 interceptions in three games. Griffin III and Wilson – the two quarterbacks with much less passing attempts – have combined for just two interceptions. Coincidence? Or smart coaching?

The team wants to run the ball and limit turnovers – there’s no secret there. They are very happy right now to play field position, great defense and hope for one or two big plays to compliment the run game. If the defense can hold a powerhouse offense like Green Bay to twelve points and a decent Cowboys outfit to seven, it might not be the worst plan in the world at home. Yet when Wilson has been challenged he’s looked very sharp. For all the little errors we’ve seen (to be expected from a rookie) we’ve also seen three glorious looking touchdown passes to Rice (Arizona), McCoy (Dallas) and Tate (Green Bay – and not THAT touchdown pass).

We look at the list of eligible 2013 receivers and wonder whether a guy like Justin Hunter, Cordarrelle Patterson or Keenan Allen could become a #1 target for Wilson – but what’s the point in making that investment if the team is throwing 15 passes at a guy earning $8.2m this year? We look at guys like Robert Woods and Tavon Austin and wonder if they could be the teams answer to Wes Welker or Percy Harvin, but are they going to have an impact if you’re not going to put the ball in their hands?

Perhaps a time will come in the future when they feel confident to allow Wilson to let it rip? Maybe that day will come soon, but this is a regime that has consistently delivered bad numbers at the quarterback position. In 2010 Matt Hasselbeck was 21st for passing yards but delivered an ugly looking 12-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His QB rating was only higher than the bad version of Brett Favre, Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen. In 2011 Tarvaris Jackson had just 14 touchdowns – as many as Colt McCoy and twelve less than Mark Sanchez. He had a QB rating worse than Kevin Kolb. Ryan Fitzpatrick had over 700 more passing yards than Jackson and more touchdowns, but he also turned it over many more times. More than anything, they wanted Jackson to secure the football – something Hasselbeck struggled to do in 2010.

Now Russell Wilson is near the bottom of the same lists. There are some positives because he’s not turning it over, but he’s also showing numbers that belittle all the pre-season hype that built up around the NFL – not just in Seattle. With good reason too – he was superb. It’s a bit like leaving a great car in the garage and then patting yourself on the back because it looks brand new. On the one hand, you have a perfectly unblemished motor vehicle. That’s cool. You’re not lying when you boast about it. But nobody ever sees you driving the thing, so people wonder ‘what’s the point’?

The whole situation is being masked by a 2-1 record right now and rightly fans should be satisfied with that. Maybe the Seahawks go into St. Louis and Carolina and out fight their opponents before returning to Seattle with a fantastic 4-1 record? Who the heck is going to complain then if Russell Wilson throws barely over 100 yards in each game?

Then there’s the other side of the coin. What if the Seahawks face a situation like the Arizona game? A closely fought contest on the road ending in defeat because when the game was on the line, they couldn’t throw the ball into the end zone? This could become more of an issue very quickly. In fact, had Seattle not been awarded a favorable decision on Monday, it would probably be the big talking point in the local media this week and not ‘that catch’.

An unbalanced offense is easy to accept while the team is winning. If that continues, nobody will question anything. Go ‘Hawks! But a risk-free strategy still carries an element of risk. I think back to Rice in 2009, or Tate at Notre Dame, or Wilson in pre-season and wonder… can we turn this on like a tap when needed? Are we making the most of some talented skill players? And can we properly judge them in this current form of a Seahawks offense? Right now I’m not sure how we can judge this quarterback or group of receivers. They’re still in the original packaging.

NFL fans should be embarrassed by what happened tonight. Sure, the Seahawks will take the win. Seattle is now 2-1 against the odds and with a bit of extra luck against a red-hot Arizona team they’d be unbeaten. The fact still remains – nobody can watch that replay and say the final play of the game tonight was anything but an interception. The league is a laughing stock this evening. That’s not taking anything away from the Seahawks who have endured a fair share of misfortune over the years, but they caught a break tonight.

It wasn’t just the final play either. The Packers’ touchdown drive was extended by a farcical pass interference call against the Seahawks. Likewise, Seattle’s penultimate drive benefited from an equally stupid flag. An ugly, messy, difficult game got the ending it deserved.

This is a Seahawks blog though and not an officiating blog, so let’s look at the team. The ending kind of masks a big issue facing the Seahawks. They clearly possess one of the league’s best defenses – it could even be #1 in the NFL. But they also possess one of the worst offenses and that has to be a big concern. It’s not about individuals either, it’s about a severe lack of balance.

The Green Bay Packers failed to score a point in the first half as Seattle sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times and shut down both the pass and the run. It was a massacre, like a home game against the Rams over the last few years. Completely one sided. Most other weeks it’d be the precursor to a comfortable and maybe even emphatic victory. But the Seahawks offense wasn’t playing ball.

Russell Wilson became the first QB in history to throw a game-winning interception.

— Reign of Troy (@ReignofTroy) September 25, 2012

At half time the Packers planned to slow down the pass rush by running the ball up the gut. Once they’d established the run, it afforded Rodgers more time and he got things moving. Throw in two no-huddle drives and momentum had shifted. The Seahawks needed to respond. It became a game where the Seahawks needed to keep up. They didn’t just fail, they failed in a big way.

I’m still trying to work out the play calling. Even with a bigger lead than 7-0, you can’t expect to beat the Packers by being ultra conservative. We know the Seahawks want to run the ball and make that the identity of the team. That’s fine, but you still need balance. Russell Wilson barely threw double digit passes going into the final quarter. You can’t do that against the Green Bay Packers with a slender lead. You can’t do that against most teams. Not unless your running back is on the path to a 200-yard game which he wasn’t. The Seahawks are essentially playing without a passing game at the moment. At best it’s a token gesture.

Do they not trust Russell Wilson as a rookie quarterback? Is it merely a misguided game plan? Whatever it is, they need to take a long look at what they’re doing on offense and try to establish a passing game of some form. Next time there won’t be a favorable refereeing decision to bail the team out. The game plan in the second half was almost as difficult to stomach as the replacement officials.

We try to look at needs on this blog because the people who visit want to talk about the draft and the future of the team. Seattle’s greatest need right now is to review the offense. By all means keep the run game at the heart of what you want to do – Marshawn Lynch had another great game today. But you have to be prepared to mix it up a bit, get creative, trust Russell Wilson and the playmakers on the team. How can we criticise the quarterback when he isn’t throwing the ball? How can we criticise the receivers when they aren’t involved? Why bother paying Sidney Rice and Zach Miller $13m this year if you’re not going to use them? Or Golden Tate… or Anthony McCoy…

And let’s not kid ourselves this isn’t a rare one off stumble. The offense stuttered mightily against Arizona and was poor in the first half against Dallas. The Cowboys were beaten into submission in the second half last week and they duly waved the white flag – but that won’t happen every week especially against the top teams. This is one of the most unbalanced offenses in the NFL, too heavily weighted towards the run. Time to take the training wheels off the passing game and use it.

This game will always be remembered for the referee’s. The most important thing Seattle will get out of it other than a notch in the win column, is to have a serious look at the offense before next Sunday. They need to if they’re going to max out their potential this season.

And Roger Goodell and the NFL owners need to sort their own mess out long before Sunday.

Note: For what it’s worth, this is the first argument I’ve seen made for justifying why the referee’s called it how they did.

Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron has enjoyed a strong start to 2012

Time to give McCarron his props

This is the time of year where several unbeaten college teams get vaulted into ‘national title’ contenders. Suddenly a few pundits wonder whether Notre Dame ‘are for real’ (they have no quarterback). Are Florida State good enough to mount a challenge? Every year these teams emerge, only to fall away. The question I always ask is – can these teams realistically take on Alabama? And the answer is usually no. In fact there’s probably only two teams I think are capable of that – SEC rival LSU and Oregon in the PAC-12. Even then Oregon might be a stretch given their inexperience at certain key positions, but they have enough speed and talent to make up for that.

So why are Alabama so consistently great? After all, they’ve seen big-time NFL stars come and go. This is the first year in a long time they haven’t featured a pending first round player at the skill positions. They lost a host of top-end defensive talent to the draft last April. Yet every year they come back for more.

The simple answer is they are the best coached team in college football. Nick Saban – love him or hate him – is the best in the business. They are organised, disciplined, committed and playing for each other. Saban constantly churns out elite defensive backs and a brilliant running game. He recruits in such a way that players are desperate to come and play for him. Winning helps, too.

This year they have a fine offensive line filled with experienced talent such as Barrett Jones and Chance Warmack. They have enough defensive line quality to create pressure and dominate up front. There’s also one other reason they’re doing so well and it’s about time this guy got some credit.

Quarterback A.J. McCarron isn’t going to be a top draft choice. Saban has found production from a string of solid, hard working quarterbacks who act as game managers and facilitate the run. John Parker Wilson and Greg McElroy weren’t very exciting to watch and lacked the physical tools to become a NFL starter, but it’s no surprise both have stuck in the league as backups. McCarron is a little bit different, a little better physically and a lot more dynamic. He’s still cut from the same cloth – he’s more facilitator than playmaker, but for me he has much more of a chance at playing time at the next level. Even if that isn’t the case – it’s about time he received some credit. He won a national title in his first year as a starter and so far in 2012 he has ten touchdowns and zero interceptions, 63% completions and a couple of blowout wins against Michigan and Arkansas.

He’s a junior and eligible for the 2013 draft, but he’s more likely to last the distance at Alabama and potentially record three national title’s. His supporting cast is good enough to do that. I’m not sure why he isn’t getting the credit he deserves – is it the personality, which is certainly more expressive than McElroy or Wilson? He’s still a ‘by the book’ type of guy and certainly on an intangible level teams will grade him highly. On a technical level he has average arm strength, but he goes through his progressions and makes very few mistakes. He’s economical, takes what he’s given and on a good team that can run the ball he’s going to offer some value. I’m not here to argue he’s a future first round pick but it’s time he got a bit more credit. He’s the glue holding Alabama’s excellent offense together and a key reason why the Crimson Tide make teams like Florida State bit-part players for the big game. Keep an eye on this guy.

Week four stock up

Tavon Autin (WR, West Virginia)

Explosive playmaker who recorded 13 catches, three touchdowns and 179 yards against Maryland on Saturday. If missing on Russell Wilson has taught me anything, it’s not to presume anything when a guy doesn’t have prototypical size. Austin is only 5-9 and 174lbs and that limits his stock – he’s not going to win many jump balls, he’ll face a lot more physicality at the next level and he won’t be able to out-run people in the same way. Even so, he’s a big-time playmaker. There’s no reason why teams won’t see a little DeSean Jackson in this guy and a team that needs a spark on offense might consider taking a shot. After all – Wes Welker is only 5-9 and 185lbs. Austin theoretically has more of an X-Factor and can be used in many different ways at the next level. At worst he’s a round two pick.

Corey Lemonier (DE, Auburn)

Lemonier has been nothing short of sensational so far this year. Like Austin, he’s not exactly a prototype at 6-4 and 246lbs. However, he has extreme speed off the edge and a knack of just making plays. He’s edgy and intense and the heart of the Tigers defense. He saved his best game so far for LSU and ended up with two sacks and numerous other splash plays. He has five total sacks for the year and appears set to give Jarvis Jones a run for his money as the SEC’s top pass rusher. Lemonier isn’t going to fit every scheme and 3-4 teams will have to weigh up whether he fits at OLB. He looks like a good fit at the LEO if the Seahawks wanted to make back-to-back first round picks at defensive end. The best thing is you feel he can get even better.

Justin Hunter (WR, Tennessee)

He was on the sliders list last week, but this weekend could end up being a defining moment for Hunter. Cordarrelle Patterson was partly responsible for a pick-six in the first quarter against Akron, and Tyler Bray seemed to avoid him for the rest of the half. Step forward Justin Hunter, who at times has played second fiddle to Patterson in the Vols passing game in 2012. He looked sharp in an eight-catch 115 yard performance that included a touchdown. If Bray is going to zone in on Hunter the rest of the way – and if both players can stay healthy – this can only be good for the receivers’ stock. He has the potential to be the top wide-out taken next April.

Week four stock down

Montee Ball (RB, Wisconsin)

It was a big surprise to see Ball return to Wisconsin this year, undoubtedly with the view of making up for last year’s gut-wrenching Rose Bowl defeat. The thing is – he’s a running back with tread on the tires. The chances of the Badgers surviving the departure of Russell Wilson were slim and they’re in the middle of a down-year. Ball had 33 rushing touchdowns last year but in 2012 has just three in four games. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry in 2010 and 2011, but has started this season averaging 3.9 yards per carry. As of today he has 661 college carries, which is already over 100 more than Trent Richardson had at Alabama. And to make matters worse, he picked up a head injury on Saturday and lost his first career fumble. I like Ball, but returning for a fourth year at Wisconsin is hurting his stock.

Matt Barkley (QB, USC)

Barkley ended the 2011 season with real momentum and the critics should go back and watch his performance vs Oregon before jumping on the negativity bandwagon. However, he hasn’t started this season particularly well. Against Syracuse he looked off the pace despite scoring six touchdowns and things got worse against Stanford and California. He has five interceptions already compared to seven for the entire season last year. Losing Matt Kalil to the draft and Khaled Holmes to injury hasn’t helped, but Barkley needs to prove he can excel without an ideal environment. If he’s drafted early next April, he cannot expect to immediately play in a fluid offense with a great offensive line. And while he’s undoubtedly talented, I just wonder if he’s destined to be a top-20 pick instead of the #1 pick.

Barkevious Mingo (DE, LSU)

At a generously listed 6-5 and 240lbs, Mingo relies on speed off the edge. He came into the year touted as a possible top-ten pick despite his size, but so far in 2012 he has zero sacks. That’s not the be-all and end-all, but he’s not really had much impact either. Consider that LSU has so far come up against the ‘might’ of North Texas, an over-matched Washington and struggling Auburn. Teams are zoning in on Mingo and he’s being taken out of games. This is helping Sam Montgomery, who is looking a lot sharper with less attention after a slow start to the year himself. If Mingo is going to live up to expectations he needs to start having more of an impact. Time is on his side.

Tyler Wilson game tape vs Rutgers

Arkansas’ struggles continued at the weekend and Wilson’s ‘quitters’ speech from last week failed to spark a response. He ended the day with three touchdowns, but also two interceptions. He didn’t get much help in this one from his receivers. Keep an eye on Cobi Hamilton, who had over 300 yards receiving and could be a second or third round pick.

Credit where it’s due to E.J. Manuel. He put in probably the best performance of his career to inspire Florida State to a big win over Clemson and the Seminoles are now in pole position to win the ACC. However, I still have no confidence in Manuel as a pro prospect. He has all the physical tools you want and certainly he looks the part. In this game he abused a sluggish Clemson defense with some clinical passes – but against a tougher defense the athleticism and arm strength won’t be enough. In the NFL he’s going to need to make quick decisions at the line, he’s going to need to diagnose confusing coverage situations and he’s going to need to progress through reads. He does none of this at the moment and when challenged, often makes poor decisions. He faced no pressure against Clemson and it afforded him the chance to make plays. There will be tougher tests to come for Manuel and he’ll show why, unfortunately, he’s always going to be more of an athlete than a quarterback.

For Clemson, DeAndre Hopkins had a fast start – catching a 60 yard bomb from Tajh Boyd on the opening possession. He got deep, did well to locate the football and win it competing against the defensive back. Hopkins ended with five catches for 88 yards. Andre Ellington will have a role in the NFL too – he only had 55 yards from 14 carries but he added a spectacular touchdown reception from a double pass – breaking off a 52-yard run. He had 4 total catches for 87 yards. Bjoern Werner didn’t have much of an impact as a pass rusher for Florida State but he did make one key open field tackle and he also recorded a pass deflection. This is the first time in 2012 Werner hasn’t recorded a sack. Clemson’s up-tempo quick-hitting offense didn’t really allow much of a pass rush.

We published tape of Manti Te’o vs Michigan State yesterday, but the Notre Dame linebacker was even better against Michigan yesterday. He had two interceptions and a forced fumble in a 13-6 victory. Luke Kuechly was the 9^th overall pick this year because of athleticism, intangibles and the way he churned out 100’s of tackles in his college career. Kuechly was never a big playmaker though, rarely impacting games for his team. Te’o isn’t the same kind of athlete, but he has more of an X-factor. For me he’s the superior player.

Georgia’s Jarvis Jones didn’t play against Florida Atlantic last week, but he returned in a 48-3 victory over Vanderbilt and recorded yet another sack. In three games he has 4.5 in total and could easily be the first player drafted next April depending on need. Quarterback Aaron Murray continued his possible Heisman charge with 18/24 passing for 250 yards. He had three total touchdowns and zero turnovers. Murray is only around 6-0/6-1 in height and he can be very streaky, but he’s started well this year. If quarterbacks like Tyler Wilson, Tyler Bray and Landry Jones continue to struggle, he could easily develop into a first or second round pick.

Whatever Logan Thomas is doing right now, it isn’t working. Virginia Tech rebounded after a bad loss to Pittsburgh last week, beating Bowling Green 37-0. However, Thomas completed just 11/26 passing for 144 yards. He had an interception too – but on a positive note had three total touchdowns and 65 rushing yards. Even so, this appears to be another mixed performance. It’ll be an upset if he declares for 2013 in this form.

It was a better day for Geno Smith at West Virginia. This was the Mountaineers toughest game so far and they squeezed through 31-21 against Maryland. Smith ended with 30/43 passing for 338 yards and three touchdowns. However the big star of the day was Tavon Austin – 13 catches, 179 yards and three touchdowns. Austin is a potential first round pick as an explosive playmaker. We’ll take a closer look at him over the next few days but he has a little DeSean Jackson and Percy Harvin to his game. You can see Smith’s tape from the game at the top of this article. Obviously this also includes Austin’s 13 catches. Take a look, because as discussed we’ll come back to this guy later in the week.

The honeymoon period is over for Jim Mora – and to some extent for talented running back Jonathan Franklin. After exploding into the new season, he managed just 45 yards from 12 carries against Oregon State as UCLA lost 27-20. Tight end Joseph Fauria had two catches for 20 yards. I’ll watch the tape of this one later in the week.

Marcus Lattimore had his most productive day since returning from injury. The South Carolina running back had 85 yards from 21 carries with two touchdowns against Missouri – but he also added 60 yards from seven receptions. If he can keep building momentum on an unbeaten team, his stock will rise. The Gamecocks won comfortably 31-10.

Somehow, Washington State lost 35-34 to Colorado. Marquess Wilson had another big night, registering five catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. It’ll be no consolation for Mike Leach. Colorado were 17 down with 7:22 to play and winless until this week.

Underrated UNC defensive tackle Sylvester Williams had another sack as the Tar Heels defeated East Carolina 27-6. Williams has 3.5 sacks in four games. He’s a strong interior presence against the run but he can penetrate and rush the passer. He’s scheme diverse and should be an early pick next April.

Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson maybe came down to earth a bit this weekend. He had only two receptions for 20 yards and two rushes for 12 yards in a 47-26 win over Akron. He was also partly responsible for a pick six early in the game – losing position and not being physical enough to shield the ball. That could be the reason he failed to record any stats in the first half, with Bray zoning in on other targets. Patterson is still raw and needs to rebound in the next game. It was a better day for Justin Hunter with eight catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Bray finished with 27/43 passing, 401 yards and four touchdowns. It’ll be interesting to see if Bray favours Hunter over Patterson going forward. The reverse was true in previous weeks.

Arkansas is a mess. A complete shambles. Poorly coached, the Bobby Petrino scandal has hit them harder than anyone could expect. They were beaten again yesterday 35-26 by a superior Rutgers team. Tyler Wilson’s stock is sinking. He completed 20/39 passing for 419 yards and three scores, but he also had two interceptions. But perhaps most damaging is the way his team failed to respond to the ‘quitters’ speech last week. If you’re going to call out your teammates, it has to have an impact. On a more positive note, Cobi Hamilton had 10 catches for an incredible 303 receiving yards and three touchdowns. It was another long day for Knile Davis however, who had just 17 yards from ten carries.

Matt Barkley is going through a poorly timed slump. Against California he was OK, but had another two interceptions to go along with two scores, 192 yards and 22/34 passing. USC’s usually functioning offense is a bit off-cue at the moment, largely due to issues on the offensive line. Here’s the thing though – Barkley has to be able to adapt to that. Teams picking early next year will need to feel confident that he can operate in not-ideal circumstances. He’s too technically talented to drop too far, but it’s this kind of scenario that makes him a top-10 pick rather than the top-1 pick. He doesn’t have the physical tools to carry a team that isn’t performing. And this is what we’ve always said about Barkley’s stock – some teams will love his poise, accuracy and field intelligence. Others will wonder whether he’s physically gifted enough to warrant a very high pick. Robert Woods only had 5 catches for the day for 30 yards.

Landry Jones is still playing like Landry Jones. Oklahoma lost at home to Kansas State yesterday 24-19, with Jones going 28/43 for 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception. However, we’re seeing the same old issues with pressure, the same inability to react when the play breaks down, zero inspiration and awareness. At one point Jones rolled out of the pocket and locked onto a receiver downfield, took an age and was sacked – forcing a fumble which was returned for a short touchdown. Its plays like that he should be avoiding at this stage in his career. He started last season as a mid-round talent and 12 months on, things aren’t getting any better.

I’m going to watch the LSU/Auburn tape later this week, but I did notice that through four weeks Barkevious Mingo is sackless. That has to be some concern for a speed pass-rush specialist whose only opposition so far has been North Texas (blowout), Washington (blowout), Idaho (blowout) and Auburn (close victory). Sam Montgomery, in comparison, has two sacks. Corey Lemonier on the other hand is going from strength to strength. I did watch a bit of the Auburn game last night and he was flying around making plays. He had two sacks on the night – now five for the season against tough opponents like LSU, Clemson and Mississippi State. His stock is flying up the boards. He might be the best pure pass rusher eligible for 2013 after Jarvis Jones. He’s not a big defensive end and will either transition to a 3-4 OLB or need to play in a system that favours speed vs prototypical size (eg Seattle). Yet Lemonier is one of the fastest risers in college football and is creating a big impression.

DeAndre Hopkins will be key for Clemson vs Florida State

There are five games on this week’s schedule: Clemson at Florida State, Arizona at Oregon, Oregon State at UCLA, LSU at Auburn and Vanderbilt at Georgia. I’m most looking forward to seeing Clemson’s offensive talent (DeAndre Hopkins, Andre Ellington) versus the Florida State defense (Bjoern Werner, deep secondary). I think overall the Seminoles are a little overrated and their defense is going to need to keep them in this one. I’m not sold on E.J. Manuel as a passer and they’re going to need to rely on the defense to keep things tight. Last year Clemson out-gunned a lot of teams and Manuel isn’t the type of player who can win a shoot-out. Bjoern Werner is going to need to keep a lid on Tajh Boyd and the Tigers passing game – and keeping him blocked could be Clemson’s greatest test. Werner has 6.5 sacks in three games.

To be more specific on Manuel, I’ve never been impressed with his tape. He looks the part physically, but he never developed into a polished college passer. He had a lot of hype when he joined the college ranks (same years as Landry Jones) but he still looks like more of an athlete than a quarterback. Against Wake Forest last week he was barely tested – but there were still some concerning moments. At one point he threw blind from his own red zone -almost giving away a pick six. He has no restrictions from a physical standpoint, but on a technical level he’ll struggle to make the middle rounds.

The Seahawks also have some interest in the game, according to Chris Steuber:

I’m told scouts from #Browns, #Bucs, #Jaguars, #Redskins & #Seahawks will attend #Clemson, #FloridaState game Saturday. #NFLDraft #NFL #CFB

— Chris Steuber (@ChrisSteuber) September 21, 2012

In the other games I’m interested to see how defensive end Dion Jordan is progressing at Oregon. It’s also my first opportunity to look at Arizona’s senior quarterback Matt Scott – he’s had a productive start after replacing Nick Foles. UCLA has also had a good start this year and Jonathan Franklin will be hoping to keep up his mass production against Oregon State. The Beavers kept Montee Ball in check when they played Wisconsin, so this’ll be Franklin’s toughest test so far. After three games he’s averaging over eight yards per carry with 541 total yards and I’m interested to see if the first round hype is justified.

This will be my second look at LSU’s top defensive talent – they didn’t really need to get out of second gear against Washington and I doubt Auburn will provide much more of a test. Even so, it’s another loaded class with plenty of 2013 talent. Vanderbilt at Georgia will be an interesting one – Georgia have flashed the potential to be BCS title contenders this year, but there’s also a lot of average tape so far. They need to be convincing against Vandy and I’ll be mainly focusing on Jonathan Jenkins, Jarvis Jones and Aaron Murray – plus we could get a first look at Bacarri Rambo and Alec Ogletree in this game.

Expect a review after Saturday’s games. In the meantime, take a look at the Jonathan Hankins (DT, Ohio State) tape that we posted on the blog today. His display vs California is the best performance I’ve seen from him so far.

The Seahawks don't have anyone like Jimmy Graham. Then again, nobody does.

ESPN’s Mike Sando wrote something this week that got me thinking…

“The receiver position hasn’t worked out the way Seattle would have drawn it up. Sidney Rice has had injury problems. Kris Durham never developed. Ricardo Lockette has not taken the next step. The more Seattle has to rely on receivers such as Mike Williams (since released) and Braylon Edwards, the clearer it is that the Seahawks need to address that position in the offseason.”

It’s a statement most people would agree with. The Seahawks lack one of the three types of receiver that have been most productive in the modern NFL:

1. Physical freak (Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones) – usually drafted within the first ten picks, this is the type of once-in-a-generation receiver that is capable of dominating in any situation. Even with Arizona’s horrendous quarterback issues the last two seasons, Larry Fitzgerald has posted over 2500 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Seattle is unlikely to find one of these any time soon, especially in the 2013 draft class.

2. Production machine (Wes Welker, Steve Smith, Victor Cruz) – almost the polar opposite of the physical freak. The likes of Welker, Smith and Cruz don’t have great physical characteristics, but they have a knack of getting open and have developed into their quarterbacks best friend. You don’t need a high draft pick to find one of these, you just need a good scout and a little bit of luck. It’s worth noting that this type of receiver usually comes with an elite (or very good) quarterback.

3. The modern tight end (Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski) – two tight ends appeared among last year’s top-10 receiver list for yardage. The position is evolving and with the success of Graham and Gronkowski, it’s likely a lot of teams in the NFL are going to be copycatting the Patriots and Saints. Expect more than two tight ends to be in the top-10 receiver list in a few years time if the trend sticks.

Singling out three ‘types’ of receiver is a bit vague. Obviously there are many varieties of receiver and this is a very basic ways of looking at it. There are also justifiable reasons why the Seahawks don’t have a dominating target on their offense. The draft hasn’t brought any answers – no receiver went in the top-25 picks in 2010, the Seahawks were out of range for A.J. Green or Julio Jones in 2011 and Justin Blackmon in 2012. They’ve lacked a productive quarterback who can turn a relatively modest receiver into a production machine – although they hope they’ve found the answer with Russell Wilson (and maybe Doug Baldwin). And despite the production of Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski – there just aren’t that many elite tight ends entering the league these days.

Even so, the team is lacking some fundamental needs for an offense. They haven’t got a reliable red-zone target, they don’t have a go-to-guy for their young quarterback, they don’t have a receiver who will consistently warrant double coverage and they don’t have a dominating physical presence you can trust to win a jump-ball. So what is the solution? How can they address this going forward?

The 2013 draft won’t have an A.J. Green or Julio Jones type talent, but there is some depth. Cordarrelle Patterson is developing into a big-time playmaker for Tennessee and he might be the closest thing to a ‘physical freak’ – but so far he’s only played three games of college football in his life. Keenan Allen, Robert Woods, Justin Hunter and others could emerge into productive receivers, but they’ll all enter the league with some question marks.

Free agency could provide some answers, but it’ll be a costly exercise. Having already pumped millions into Sidney Rice without a major return, the Seahawks might be cautious of trying to sign Mike Wallace, Greg Jennings or Wes Welker if they hit the open market.

It’s an issue that could linger for the Seahawks but they do need more playmakers on offense to be successful. Despite finding multiple starters at other positions in the later rounds of the draft or with modest free agents, nearly everything they’ve tried at receiver hasn’t worked. They made big investments in Rice and Zach Miller without big production. They drafted Golden Tate in round two, but he still has a lot to prove. They’ve taken guys in the later rounds or UDFA without finding an equivalent to Kam Chancellor or Richard Sherman. The biggest success story so far has been Doug Baldwin – but he’s still working towards 100% health this year after missing all of pre-season through injury. Can he build from a solid rookie season?

Generally this regime has been aggressive filling key needs. They were aggressive in repairing the offensive line – going for big name coaches and two first round picks at offensive tackle. They quickly rebuilt an entire defense. Despite not spending a first round pick on a quarterback, I’d argue the multiple moves at the position could be considered ‘aggressive’.

And let’s not forget – getting a top-end receiver appeared to be one of Pete Carroll’s big aims when he was appointed Head Coach. He entertained Brandon Marshall with a view to bringing him to Seattle via trade. Had the Broncos been willing to deal for the teams 2010 second round pick, he probably would’ve been a Seahawk. They looked into a deal with San Diego for Vincent Jackson. They drafted Golden Tate. That was just in the first year. Since then, they’ve spent a ton of money on Sidney Rice and Zach Miller. In fact 2012 is the first year where they’ve been quite modest at the position, looking at guys on the street such as Terrell Owens and Braylon Edwards.

The Seahawks won’t panic because it’s not in the nature of Carroll and Schneider. That doesn’t mean they won’t be aggressive. They’ve shown a willingness to target needs in the draft and that could be the case here. They’ve also shown they’re prepared to go after big name free agents if they fit the criteria. It’s probably safe to assume something will be done to address this issue unless Rice, Miller, McCoy, Baldwin and Tate all break-out in the remaining 14 games. Working out what they’re going to do is the hard part.

Receivers with the potential to go in rounds 1/2 in 2013: Cordarrelle Patterson (WR, Tennessee), Robert Woods (WR, USC), Keenan Allen (WR, California), Justin Hunter (WR, Tennessee), Marquess Wilson (WR, Washington State), Tavon Austin (WR, West Virginia), Aaron Dobson (WR, Marshall), Da’Rick Rogers (WR, Tennessee Tech), Kenny Stills (WR, Oklahoma), Levine Toilolo (TE, Stanford), Zach Ertz (TE, Stanford), Dion Sims (TE, Michigan State), Joseph Fauria (TE, UCLA), Tyler Eifert (TE, Notre Dame)