Pete Carroll’s final press conference reviewed

Pete Carroll spoke to the media follow today's Super Bowl parade

For the first time in four years, Pete Carroll didn’t talk about specific team needs in his final press conference of the season.

“(We) don’t see anything we need to add. We just have to get better.”

“It’s not going to be something from outside of us. We have what we need.”

He’s always been candid and honest in these end-of-season post mortems. Whether it was a determination to improve the running game, get more speed in the front seven or enhance the pass rush — he always laid it out on the table.

I guess when you win the Super Bowl 43-8 against one of the supposed elite teams, you can afford a degree of comfort with your roster.

Or maybe it was a nod to something else.

Perhaps, as of today, he simply doesn’t know what his greatest needs are?

He made reference to keeping the group together as best they can. Yet he also knows how difficult that’ll be. When speaking to Brock and Danny yesterday, he noted this would be a challenging off-season for that very reason.

Think about the potential scenarios:

Lose Michael Bennett and he’ll need to be replaced as a major priority.

Lose Golden Tate and cut Sidney Rice as a cost saving measure and you”ll need to make receiver a big time need.

Lose Breno Giacomini and you have to consider adding to the offensive line again.

“We don’t need anything” might be more like “we don’t need anything… yet”.

Carroll wasn’t the only one to speak after today’s sensational parade in downtown Seattle. Funnily enough Bennett and Tate were also interviewed, but not to say goodbye.

– Bennett insisted he wanted to end his career in Seattle and wasn’t planning on leaving

– He added that no firm negotiations had taken place yet and wouldn’t occur until around combine time

– Tate admitted he had a cap number in mind that he would like to negotiate with the Seahawks

– He stated he would be willing to take a “little” discount to stay in Seattle

– Carroll announced Sidney Rice’s rehab from a knee injury was going extremely well, suggesting his rate of recovery was “unheard of”.

The Seahawks showed in Super Bowl 48 they don’t have any glaring holes in the roster. They have the #7 offense according to DVOA, they have the #1 defense and the #5 special teams.

Add that up and you get the #1 overall team. And it wasn’t all that close.

That doesn’t mean they don’t need any new additions — they do — but for the first time since I started writing this blog there aren’t the backbreaking needs to prevent this team winning a Championship.

They’re already Champions.

It’s really just about keeping the band together as best you can.

And while you might be prepared to change the occasional member — you’ve just got to make sure Glenn Frey and Don Henley are sticking around.

***RANDOM PICTURE INTERMISSION***

Of course part of the issue is having to cut players or ask them to restructure their contracts. The media are already latching onto this:

Rice would be an easy cut at $7m but if he’s progressing well from his knee injury, they might be able to restructure his deal. He is a very good player on his day — he’s just suffered endless injury problems throughout his career.

It would’ve been interesting to see this receiver group with a healthy Rice and Harvin also contributing. Having said that, both Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse really stepped up to the plate in their absence, and deserve even bigger roles next season.

There’s no way Rice survives with his current cap hit of $9.7m. He’d have to strike a new deal.

The problem is, there’s probably not a happy medium if you ask him to restructure. The saving is too good for an outright cut, Rice will get offers as a free agent and there’s no need to accept a drastically low salary for any other reason than a desire to stay in Seattle.

Providing even greater clarity here is a jam packed receiver class in this years draft.

Seattle can save a further $5m by cutting Zach Miller’s contract. I’ve written in the past about him being a potential cost-cutting victim. The best tight ends in the NFL are not paid like Miller.

While he’s been very useful to this team, his salary is just too big. At a time when other players need to be re-signed, he cannot expect to survive on a $7m cap hit having earned a borderline ridiculous $11m in 2013.

He’s only 28 so they might be able to restructure the deal, adding years (he’s a free agent in 2016) or simply reducing his salary.

He’s a nice blocking tight end with some pass-catching qualities but he’s not an elite difference maker. And with guys like Breno Giacomini needing to be re-signed as well as your Bennett’s and Tate’s, Miller surely has to be willing to compromise if he wants to stay.

It’s a little surprising Chris Clemons’ name isn’t mentioned by Rapoport. He’s been a real warrior for the Seahawks, but he’s due $9.7m in 2014 — the year he turns 33. There’s a $7m saving to be had by cutting him.

The likes of Red Bryant and Brandon Mebane may also end up in contract negotiations. Bryant’s cap hit is $8.5m in 2014 and while I highly doubt he leaves the team, I think there’s maybe a reduction to be had there for the greater good of the roster.

Mebane earns $5.7m over the next two seasons — but the ease in which he can be cut (he has almost no dead money on his contract) makes a re-negotiation very possible.

These are the decisions facing John Schneider and Carroll. But they’ve acknowledged they have some tough calls to make.

Now we just sit and wait to see how the best team in football tries to stay right at the top of the mountain.

In today’s press conference Carroll also listed a series of improvements he wants to see next year:

– He believes Russell Wilson will continue to develop because of his great work ethic, and also called his post-season form “exquisite”

– Carroll spoke with some passion about cleaning up the teams league-leading penalty problems

– A healthy Percy Harvin can help take the offense to another level, with Carroll stating they were only “scratching the surface” on his potential during the Super Bowl

– Carroll says they didn’t get the pass rush rolling until mid-season, and it’s something they can continue to develop

– He said kick-off returns are another area with major room for improvement — obviously Harvin being on the field helps here

The players and coaches will now take a break, with the next big event the combine in Indianapolis — starting on February 22nd.

Shop for Conference Champs and Super Bowl XLVIII Match Up Merchandise at NFLShop.com

Finally here’s some more tape to get into as we roll into draft season. This is courtesy of JMPasq, and it’s Aaron Donald (DT, Pittsburgh) and Eric Ebron (TE, North Carolina):

83 Comments

  1. Sam Jaffe

    There’s a strong argument to be made that all of the players mentioned above could be candidates for long term extensions that would effectively reduce their annual cap hits while keeping them on the team for the long haul. There’s also another cap trick that’s about to happen: converting Percy Harvin’s 2014 salary to a bonus. In one move that would put about $10 million back up for this year. It’s what the Cardinals just did with Fitzgerald.

    • Rob Staton

      It’s an option with Harvin.

    • Cameron

      Woah woah woah, back the truck up. What? Explain this more, or point me to an online resource that explains how this works. Please.

      • Michael M.

        My rudimentary understanding of it is this: any money paid as a “bonus” rather than salary can be spread out over the life of the contract. In Percy’s case, he is due for his largest cap hit next season ($13.4MM) and that is a ton of money to pay one guy in one year. The Seahawks would have the option to convert this to a bonus (which I believe makes it fully guaranteed) and instead pay him $2.68MM next season, as well as an additional $2.68 in each of the other 4 years left on his deal.

        • Jason Drake

          I see how that could work, but I don’t think it’s the best strategy. It gives us 2014 cap room at the expense of a tighter cap in 2015-2017. I’d rather we suffer the cost now and keep more room available for when Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, etc. are drawing bigger numbers.

          • Josh

            Keep in mind though, that CBS just paid hundreds of millions of dollars for TNF and that money SHOULD be hitting the salary cap in 2015. I’ve heard estimates of $6-10M/team. That’s huge.

            • SunPathPaul

              Looks like 4 Million added for this years cap… Nice

  2. Stuart

    If we could do that with Harvin, it would sure solve many of our uncertainties. How much do you offer Golden Tate? How much would you pay re-sign Rice?

    Like Rob stated, Baldwin and Kearse have both earned more opportunities. I also like Ricardo Lockette holding down the #5 WR (Obomanu role).

    -Harvin
    -Baldwin
    -Kearse
    -Obomanu

    We cannot afford to over pay Golden Tate.

    • Cysco

      I’ve seen the number $6mm thrown around for what Tate might get on the open market. I just can’t see the hawks paying that. Maybe 4.5mm?

      • AlaskaHawk

        There is talk of paying Baldwin 2 million. Tate is of equal worth in my opinion.

  3. Ed

    Those all hit the nail on the head (including Clemons). Teams that overpay and continue pushing money down the line are the teams that go from good to bad quickly. I don’t think we need to worry about that with JS/PC. I really trust that as much as they would like to keep this team together, they will not sacrifice the future of the team. They will not overpay and risk the future. They are great at evaluating talent, so it will be next man up.

    Does Irvin take over for Clemons (Wright/Wagner/Smith @ LB).

    On another note, we should feel real fortunate that Quinn is not leaving. Another year with pretty much the same personnel (maybe no Bennett/Thurmond)

    So excited for next year

    • Rugby Lock

      I haven’t seen Irvin hold up well enough against the run for that to happen IMO. That’s one of Clems real strengths is that he provides a rush but isn’t liability against the run.

      Just a side note: Thanks again for your hard work Rob and to the rest of the boys here for making this the ONLY comments section I read due to the quality of content. Most others just turn into juvenile pissing matches after 5 or 6 comments.

      • Kenny Sloth

        Thanks for being here, Rug. Your comments are always thoughtful and objective.

  4. UKhawk

    Rob. Great points but I think the biggest priority IMHO would have to be to again win the NFC and the division. When SF got healthy they were nearly the equal of the Hawks and you can bet like us over the past 4 yrs their entire focus will be on beating us next year.

    PCJS built a unique team flexible enough to beat all sorts of teams. We need to keep that going but also continue to separate from SF and the rest of the NFC West. I see the defense built to perfectly defend division counterparts so think only substantial improvements can/must come on the offensive side of the ball namely in the run & passing game. This is of course after all the noise is done regarding roster churn & cap managemnnt. What’s your not Pete’s view?

    • Cysco

      SFO has their own problems/choices this offseason. They might have bigger questions at receiver than we do.

      • Cameron

        Correct. Anquan Boldin is FA, as is Mario Manningham.

        • Rugby Lock

          A healthy PH raises our offense to whole new level. So the bar SF has to reach now is even higher than last year. It’s a beautiful thing!

          • Josh

            This. Percy hasn’t played vs. SF yet. We still went 2-1 vs them.

            • AlaskaHawk

              I’m not sure I want Percy Harvin playing against San Francisco on very many plays. We all know the preferred method of defending Percy is to give him a concussion. SF will be happy to try.

              • Rob Staton

                They’ll struggle to give him a concussion in the open field running fly/jet sweeps and running back kick returns.

  5. Cysco

    I truly believe next year’s team will be even better than this one.

    I’d be OK releasing Miller, Rice, Clemons and letting Tate walk. If the WR group consisted of:

    Harvin
    Baldwin
    Kearse
    Coleman/Benjamin
    minimum Free Agent/rookie battle

    I’d be OK.

    There are FA blocking TE’s out there for much cheaper and there are ways to make up for the loss of clemons.

    Hate to see those guys go, but they’re decisions that should be made.

    Grab a minimum FA blocking TE,

    • JW

      Those cuts above would save almost 20M in cap space, leaving plenty of room to re-sign Tate.

      I’m very reluctant to let Tate walk. Building continuity in the passing game is important. and I’m not nearly as confident in penciling in Harvin for a full season as some are. Losing Tate, Miller and Rice, and relying on Baldwin/Kearse/Willson Rookie to carry the passing game if/when Harvin is out seems like an unneeded risk.

      Between the players discussed in this thread (and McQ), there’s almost 38 million in cap space to be found, even after including dead money. In that light, it doesn’t seem so difficult to find a way to bring a few of them back. One of them should be Tate. He is durable, multi-purpose, comfortable in the offense, Russell knows him, and he won’t cost a fortune. Just cutting Rice should leave enough money to bring back Tate, and then some.

      At this point I’m comfortable in letting McQ and Breno go, cutting Rice, and possibly Clem. That’s 21M in cap space. Before even dealing with Miller’s contract. Bring Tate back is a need that shouldn’t be that hard to meet.

      • Rugby Lock

        Have to disagree with the Breno cut as he is a good RT. I would also like to keep McQ at say a minimum salary for depth. We really need to solve the revolving door at LG.

        • Henrique

          Breno will not be cut, he is a free agent,

          • AlaskaHawk

            I’ve swung around on Breno, I used to not like him because he was penalty prone and would not pick up outside blitzers that could flatten Wilson. When he came back from his injury he played pretty well. Well enough that I think we should try to get him back.

            Likewise Clemons has played well and I would hate to see him go. I don’t think we will find a replacement for him unless we use a high draft pick, and that is a crap shoot. I would like to see him brought back on reduced salary with bonuses if he stays healthy.

            • Kenny Sloth

              For me, Giaco was our most consistent lineman this year. Seemed like he was the least penalized on our line.

  6. Ray graham

    Good points all, but my question revolves around the overload we have at running back/ fullback. I’m not sure how much exactly Christine Michael and spencer ware are making but stashing them on the roster with out using them again next year surely can’t help. Obviously C Mike was drafted as a hedge against the inevitable decline in beastmode, although that time has clearly not arrived. Can this team really afford to keep him around another year without using him? Is it out of line to ask marshawn to restructure? Or is turbin going to be a cap casualty? Any thoughts out there people?

    • Kenny Sloth

      Yo, new CBA. Michael doesn’t even make 1 mil till his final year.

      Turbin makes a relative pittance too.

      Ware makes squat.

      • AlaskaHawk

        His point is that when we finally get around to using them they will be free agents and leave for a team that will pay them.

        • Kenny Sloth

          Well, in the case of Michael, he’s around for another 3 years. Next year he’ll likely be the new Turbin+. The year after he’ll likely be a starter if Beast Mode’s wheels start to fall off. The next year we’ll be done with Marshawn. His contract’s up and I can’t see him getting big money here. The year after Michael has a chance to nut up or shut up. It’s his contract year. Marshawn won’t be here. Then we’ll be able to afford to pay him big bucks as a starter.

          Spencer Ware is a FB here. He might not make the team because of his DUI.

          Turbin is JAG. He’ll likely be a #2 his whole career. I don’t see anyone paying him.

          So, please tell me his rebuttal, also.

          • AlaskaHawk

            You got some valid points. I don’t see a big future here for Turbin or Michael because we can pick up two more running backs any year we want. Plus neither run with Lynchs power and neither has Harvins speed. We have had a long look at Turbin and hardly use him. I just don’t know what is happening with Michael but it isn’t a good sign when they won’t put him on the field.

            Running backs are cheap. But Elite running backs are hard to find.

            • Kenny Sloth

              I mean. You don’t get much more athletic than Michael. He’s got explosive power out the wazoo. I don’t think we necessarily are looking for a carbon copy of Lynch. But the reason he is able to generate so much power is his explosive ability. Michael has that same kind of acceleration. I don’t know if he’s going to be a contact runner like Lynch, but my guess is no.

              The only major difference between these guys, I think, is that Lynch runs AT guys. Michael runs around em. He’s definitely shown in everything I’ve seen of him that he can break arm tackles. This is the only kind of power I care about for all running backs.

              Recall that Lynch didn’t start running well until the cowboy game. Michael may be struggling with a lot of the nuances and there was no reason to put him out there last year. He was nursing a minor injury and honing his abilities. I just think it’s too early to be having this discussion.

              For all we know, Christine Michael might be all about that action, boss.

            • Kenny Sloth

              Also, sorry for any snippiness I offered. It’s been a long week.

              • AlaskaHawk

                I like Michael- I just wish PC would play him so the fans would know what sort of a runner he is.

                • Kenny Sloth

                  Maybe they’re saving tread? They might want him to play into his 30’s.

    • JR

      If Lynch loses his DUI case we will probably lose him for 4 games. I believe this is why we got Michael last year. Also if Lynch starts to decline Michael will see more playing time.

  7. James

    Excellent overview of the cap implications on the Seahawks draft plans, Rob! Sydney Rice has made so much money the past three years, that he ought to be set, and might actually prefer to stay here at a greatly reduced rate, and be in a 5-man rotation, rather than go elsewhere for big dollars but again get beat to a pulp by having to carry too much of the load. Miller also has made a fortune and should be amenable to restructuring at a greatly reduced rate. Mebane and Bryant are older players, and could restructure now to help the cap this year, but it would likely spread their cap number three or four years into the future. Might PCJS hang on to them one more year, and then simply release them after 2014 for a huge cap benefit? Their dollars, plus the fact that Beast may be ready to retire after next year, would provide all the cap needed to sign RW after next season. I’m afraid that Clemons is a pure cap casualty.

    • CC

      Agree with you, but I really thought Petey saying how well Sidney was healing was to help him get another gig somewhere else. The sad part, is it may be another NFC west team. Rice has been oft injured – he’s a cut that has to be made. We have to move forward, find the big receiver who can help every game and from here on. If some of these guys will restructure to one year deals, maybe you can keep a few, but if you want to have many opportunities for championships, we’ll have to replace and move forward.

  8. Ben2

    I saw the snap count for the DL in the Super Bowl and found it interesting. McDonald played a lot – would you keep McDonald at 3 mil vs Tate at 4.5 mil? This FO could do a lot with 1.5 mil.

    • Rugby Lock

      It would be nice to see if McDonald can be kept but I fear he has played himself out of our price range.

      • Henrique

        Gus Bradley will snatch him.

        • Ben2

          Jacksonville is gonna be all over our guys….they have a ton of cap room too!

  9. Ben2

    Someone (Rob?) should hook us/me up with a scouting report on our practice squad regulars. I don’t know much about these guys…even Deshawn Shead. Didn’t we stash a DL guy….Cherington? What’s up with these guys and who would they replace if promoted, how would the be mixed into our defense, what there skill set is, etc

    • Rob Staton

      I would but it’s very difficult to offer a report on PS players when they’re not playing football. And in some cases, there’s not a great deal of college tape out there either to get into.

      • Ben2

        Good points….in my imagination I guess I just envisioned you at Seahawks practice with a clipboard taking notes on Shead’s press man technique. Damn reality! I guess the point of my post is then,”hey, we’ve got a coaching staff that really know how to teach – some of our needs might be filled internally with these guys as opposed to the draft.” It still amazes me the level of play we get at corner – did anybody guess that Byron Maxwell was going to be that good?

        • Rob Staton

          🙂 I wish I could be at the practise doing just that!

    • JR

      The practice squad players are not the only replacements we have. We red-shirted most of this years draft and we still have Scruggs, Toomer ,and hopfully we can re-sign McCoy for cheap

  10. Kenny Sloth

    Lol/ That Aaron Donald tape is the truth.

  11. Jarhead

    Alright Rob, I have a name for you. Lorenzo Taliaferro out of CCU. Not a lot of tape on him, but he is a big, powerful yards after contact guy to be had in the mid rounds. Broke some records there and he looks like not only could he put on some more muscle, but that his pad level is nice and low when he runs. Real downhill guy. Let me know what you think. I’m all about finding Lynch’s heir apparent this offseason

    • Drew

      We already have his heir to the throne, C Mike.

      • Rugby Lock

        doesn’t hurt to hedge one’s bets

      • Jarhead

        Haha Classic. All this Christeen Michael talk that still persists after he was BENCHED for an entire season makes me sigh. We’re probably just keeping his legs fresh and we’re going to shock the league with our amazing secret weapon! Haha Yeah Michael isn’t even a bust, he is a non-starter. Anyway, Rob let me know if I’m reaching too far or if there may be a grain of interest in this kid. He could be legit.

        • Cysco

          No one really knows the situation with Michael. (other than the organization) The times he’s gotten into the game, he’s been electric. In case you’ve forgotten what he can do:

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsTm2JRooyY

          I suspect the issue with Michael is one of simple depth and the fact that he’s still learning how to block and how to run in our system. Beast is our lead back. When he needs a breather the staff would rather go with the more experience guy (Turbin). They’re not looking for a #2 RB to come in and be a spark. They just need him to not make mistakes while Lynch catches his breath. You obviously go with the more experienced player in that case.

          If, God for bid, Lynch goes down, I imagine you’d see a lot more of Michael. I also wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see Lynch get fewer snaps next season as they start working Michael into the lineup.

        • CC

          CM is a raw talent, who didn’t block in college. He is like many college players, he didn’t have to do the tough work like blocking. Cable’s blocking scheme requires that RB learn to block – let’s not dismiss him just yet. I do have concerns on whether he is mature enough to not get in trouble, but he is a fast punishing runner. I trust that Johnny and Petey know talent.

    • Rob Staton

      I’ll see what I can find out about him.

      • Jarhead

        Cool. I don’t even know if he’s been invited to the combine but I’d be anxious to see what his 40 and split are, as well as his press reps. That could tell us a lot

      • Phil

        Taliaferro’s name sounded familiar to me — turns out he played at Bruton HS in Williamsburg VA where I live. I seem to recall he was a running QB in HS. I kind of lost track of him — sounds like he went to JC and then on to Coastal Carolina.

        Here’s a link to a “highlights” video. http://www.hudl.com/athlete/o/439785/highlights/2568422

        He’s played some time at FB as well as TB and even returns kicks. I can’t say much about the level of opponents he has played against, but in the video he looks like a man playing against boys.

        • Mylegacy

          Phil – Dat boy’s all about the action, boss.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Looks like a potential FB convert. We like former QB’s there, apparently. With Ware potentially out the door after his DUI, we could bring him in as a UDFA for competition with Coleman.

    • Attyla the Hawk

      Taliaferro was a real standout at the Senior Bowl. Excellent all around game. Outstanding in the blocking drills. Don’t expect him to be much in the way of a runner. But a guy worth adding late in the draft if he’s there in the 6th/7th.

      He probably made himself draftable in Mobile. Good looking prospect. Combine will need to cement his standing.

  12. Jake

    Rob, do you have any sense of what the trade value would be in terms of draft picks for guys like Byron Maxwell, Malcolm Smith, or KJ Wright? I feel like those kind of guys who are good but not great are the most likely to become cap casualties in the future. I don’t think we should dismantle the roster or anything, but it might be worth trading one or two of those guys to help restock with draft picks instead of letting them walk away.

    All of you guys going crazy with all the cap space the Seahawks will have–don’t forget that a lot of that space is going to be used up locking up Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman long term, and we have to be aware that Russell Wilson is coming due for a raise soon too.

    Both the Seahawks and the 49ers are moving from cap nirvana (awesome dudes dirt cheap, sign whoever you feel like) to cap limbo (awesome dudes paid fairly, have to be smart with your money). As long as neither team does anything desperate–which a massive Harvin restructure would be, IMO–I don’t think either team risks falling into cap hell (awesome dudes leaving because you can’t pay them).

    • Henrique

      Makes no sense to trade Maxwell, Wright or Malcolm. All are importante for our D. When their contracts are up, we try to resign those guys or we let them walk and grab some compensatory picks.

    • Rob Staton

      I agree with Henrique Jake, I think they’re important guys and the trade value won’t be good enough to want to initiate deals. Let them work through their deals, try to re-sign them and if you can’t — replace them. We’ll get comp picks anyway if guys sign biggish deals elsewhere.

      • Jake

        Once we’re paying market rate for Earl/Sherman/Wilson/Wagner, along with the guys on the d-line, I don’t see a lot of room to extend those guys at what they’d command on the open market (seems like Maxwell, for example, would command at least a Dominique Rogers-Cromartie-esque kind of paycheck). My understanding with the compensatory picks is that you only get them if you on net lose free agents, which seems like kind of a crap shoot.

        I would love to see the team keep everybody but if you know a year in advance that you’re going to lose a guy I would think you’d have to consider a trade. If there’s no trade market for them then I guess you might as well just go out and win another super bowl while you’ve got them under contract.

        • Rob Staton

          The thing is, there aren’t that many trades in the NFL. Certainly not for fringe players, backups or short term starters.

          Usually the only trades you see are just practise squad swaps or mega deals involving the leagues unhappy elite.

          While it’d be nice to think we can simply trade away all our second and third tier guys who we cannot re-sign, they’re much more likely to be allowed by other teams to hit the open market. Seattle can get compensatory picks down the line so it’s not a total loss. But even despite Seattle’s great revolution and blossoming talent, there aren’t many players with genuine trade value that a.) you’d be willing to move and b.) would generate a legit market.

        • Attyla the Hawk

          Agreed. We need to get comfortable with the idea of reloading players.

  13. Nate

    I’m not high on letting Tate walk. I would love to see us actually just rotate Baldwin and Kearse on the outside when in 2 or 3 receiver sets, but preferably a 3 receiver set with him & Tate outside, Harvin inside. That of course pends on Harvin staying healthy and or even willing to go through training camp (sarcasm). I REALLY like Kori Toomer, and hope this time can stay healthy and contribute. Letting Clem walk and either moving Irvin back to DE or re-signing OBS or bumping Mayowa up, I’m o.k. with. I think Bowie can replace Giacomini, so draft a later round T to replace him. I knew that Maxwell would be good, by following his Madden rating. He was always better than Lane. My biggest question is do we let Mike Rob walk and retire, and have a decline in Lynch running again, try to improve the o-line in draft to help compensate and rely on Coleman?

    • Kenny Sloth

      We’ll probably bring in a body at FB after letting Mike Rob go. He got his ring. Ware is supposed to be a convert to FB. Phil Bates had a similar buzz during camp.

  14. Steeeve

    The good news is that we are in no way in “cap hell.” Just need to make some unsentimental decisions.

    Fortunately, I would think you could unsentimentally move on from/renegotiate with Rice, Clemons, and Miller when you can remind them how much more they made from this organization than other contributors.

    Harder to lowball Tate when he his part on the cheap in building up the team. Especially considering the message they want to send about “taking care of their guys.” But you’re going to end up with a glut at receiver if you have Harvin, Baldwin, Kearse, a big-bodied draft pick, Tate and/or Rice. Decisions, decisions!

  15. Mylegacy

    Decisions, decisions, decisions…

    Some random thoughts…

    Rice: Can’t see how we can restructure him – too fragile for an extension, too expensive now. Gone.

    Miller: Overpaid for how he’s being used – but – if was actually used as a receiver more I expect he’d rise to the occasion. However, a deal can be cut. BUT – I’ve been thinking (out of the box) after watching Bailey throughout the playoffs (he was in on 27% of the offensive snaps in the SB) why not make him the TE. He looks to be a good corner blocker. Imagine Sweezy playing from the TE position with Bailey or Bowie at RG (or some new guy at RT). Even Bailey could catch a few passes a year simply by surprise. Imagine a “power package” with Bailey and Bowie as tight ends on short yardage plays – or even on some passing plays – how’s SF and the rest of our division going to get at Wilson through: Bailey, Okung, Carpenter, Unger, Sweezy, Giacomini and Bowie??

    ManRob: In the SB played 13% of the snaps – Coleman time there.

    Bryant (26% of snaps in SB) & Mebane (33% of snaps in SB): These guys are off the field – when the defense is on the field – an average of about 70% of the defensive snaps. Can their value be filled other ways? A combo of: Hill, Williams, Brooks, Cherrington, and or (D’Anthony) Smith perhaps?

    Bennett (68% of snaps) and McDonald (65% of snaps): Hard to replace these guys. Bennett will be the most likely to get the largest bag of shiny bits the team can afford given it’s myriad other requirements for the dosh.

    Clemons (67% of snaps): Versatile, underwhelming, older… but I still like the guy…sigh…what to do…

    Irvin (24% of snaps): From DE to linebacker to 25% of snaps. BUT – the guy is still learning linebacker and I sense he’s got a bit of Kam in him if it clicks.

    Looks like the brain trust has to get their thinking caps on this off-season.

    • Josh

      Those SB snaps are a bit skewed though. Denver is a pass heavy team so we want the bigtime pass rushers in. That takes Mebane/Bryant out. Vs a team like SF I bet their snap counts were much higher.

      • Mylegacy

        Good point Josh.

  16. AlaskaHawk

    Looking at all these different players with varying salaries just highlights how hit or miss salaries can be. For instance, Harvin and Miller both get high contracts of 10-12 million a year. Tate and Baldwin, who have been our highest yardage receivers for last three years, will be lucky to get offered 2-4 million. That can breed resentment among players.

    There has also been a lot of chatter about what Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman our worth. To me, the safety position will always be worth more than a cornerback because they play so much more of the field and make a lot more tackles. How is that to be compensated? We can’t pay our entire secondary what we would like to, 10 million plus each. Or can we???

    Now that we have won a superbowl our players have become more valuable on the market.

    I think Schneider and Pete Carroll should decide what they are willing to pay at each position for a good player and an elite player. And then fit that into the draft picks and the cap. Instead of offering each individual a separate deal we would just have a pay scale. They can stay with us on a great team, or leave for more money, whatever they choose.

    I just don’t see how we can continue with paying certain individuals high and others low when it is a team sport. Unless you systematically grade the importance of each position.

    • Alexander Hsie

      market rate for corners is always higher than safety even if Earl Thomas is the more important player in our scheme.

      • AlaskaHawk

        Yes, Sherman can make a lot with the right team. However PC seems to be able to train up corners. So our best strategy might be to pay higher on safeties than corners. Yes I love having a lock down corner, but the reality is that the Safeties make a lot more hits and tackles, both in the run game and passing game. So the Seahawks might place a 4 million value for an average corner, 8 million for an elite corner, versus 4 million for average safety and 10 million for elite safety.

        My only point is that they need to be very systematic about assigning values or they will be snakebit down the road. Like when Russell Wilson gets added to the salary caps.

  17. MarkinSeattle

    I think what everyone needs to keep in mind in regards to the DL, don’t look at the SB and project out value based on one game. Denver is a pass first, second, and third team. They weren’t going to seriously run the ball and they didn’t. Because of the lack of a threat at running back, especially a power running attack, we went into that game focused on playing our pass rushing DL more. By Denver’s first drive in the second half, there was no reason not to keep our pass rushers and NASCAR package out there full time.

    However, as has been observed by many, including Sherman, the tougher games for us are in our own division. Those teams are all focused on having a strong power running game (along with strong, physical OL), and for that, we need Bryant and Mebane. That is why I don’t think it is a foregone conclusion that we will cut Bryant, and lean more towards cutting or reducing Miller and finding a replacement via the draft.

    Granted, pass rushing DL are hard to find, which is why resigning Bennett is such a priority. It seems to be a lot easier to find a good run plugging DT than it is to find one who can consistently rush the passer. If we do cut a Bryant or a Mebane, I would expect we have to find a good replacement either in FA or the draft (perhaps Williams can step up, but he seems very raw to me and I think that he is at least another year with learning technique before we can rely on him putting in consistent minutes).

  18. hawkfaninMT

    How much input do you think the team will let RW have on the decisions at WR? If RW is let in on them, do you think he stumps for Tate, Baldwin or Rice? And if so, what order do you think he will lean? He has always seemed to have an affection for Tate in my view.

    Rob do you have an opinion on Tharold Simon? It seems odd to me that he was put on the IR back in Sept (Aug?) and he is still having problems with his foot. I really thought he would be what Maxwell has become!

    • CC

      Pete said yesterday that Simon was going to have the same surgery on the other foot – but expected all to be “ready to compete” come training camp. Hopefully he’s been studying…

    • Rob Staton

      PC said in his press conference that Simon was healed. This has been a redshirt year for him due to the injury. he has time on his hands.

  19. Turp

    Clem and Rice are goners; the 3rd cap casualty appears to be coming down to Miller vs Bryant…that will be interesting. I think they will keep Miller after paying him 11mil this year. He’s a complete player. Bryant is a specialist. If they do cut Miller like @RapSheet suggests, than would that make an ASJ pick likely at 32, assuming Sark gives Pete positive feedback on him?

  20. Hay stacker509

    So Rob, I read on espn that Carolina needs a wr to replace smith and would like someone tall and think due to newtons similar style of play kelvin Benjamin could be gone by the 28th pick. Do you think that pushes Coleman to us and what are the odds harbaugh knowing we need a tall wr would take Coleman just to make sure we didn’t?

    • Rob Staton

      I’m not sure San Fran would do that considering their major needs on the interior DL and secondary. Receiver is one of their strongest positions assuming they keep Boldin. I can definitely see Benjamin going to Carolina.

    • Attyla the Hawk

      I can’t see that happening. San Fransisco has like 6 picks in the first 3 rounds. They will probably plow under picks for better 2015 picks and stick to the program.

      They were in the NFCCG 3 years running. They need to focus on what they need. Not what we do.

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