‘Lost in Translation’ — pretentious rubbish
Into the darkness…
It’s easy to forget this — but quite a lot of Seahawks fans don’t remember life before Russell Wilson.
This includes some of the more, shall we say, ‘vocal’ members of Seahawks twitter.
Whether it’s due to your age or the rapid improvement of the team a decade ago carrying you along for the ride — there are quite a lot of people on the internet who haven’t experienced what might happen in 2022.
A really bad season.
For others, it might just be so long ago that we’ve forgotten what it’s really like.
I remember watching the film ‘Lost in Translation’. I saw it about a year after it came out. I was at University at the time. I thought it was great.
Re-watching it as an actual adult years later — it was nothing like I recalled. It was 102 minutes of absolute torture. I understood why a younger version of myself would give this arty-farty bilge the benefit of the doubt. Yet as a grown-up I just wanted to tell the two main characters (played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson) to f-off.
Thankfully I’ve seen the light. I watched Top Gun Maverick in the cinema for a third time this weekend — a confession I’m prepared to make. I fear it might be the last great classic cinema experience.
The whole point of this digression is to point out that the 2022 season might create a similar feeling to that second viewing of Sofia Coppola’s pretentious borefest.
More than anyone I’ve been extolling the decision to have a clean break and ‘take some lumps’ this year. I think that short-term misery will present a quicker path to a return to success (through higher draft picks) than muddling along in no-man’s land.
That doesn’t mean ‘tanking’. People often lurch to deliberately losing for the #1 pick. It’s not about that. It’s critical the Seahawks try to build while they go through this process, as they did in 2011. I just think that can be achieved without spending resource on a minor quarterback improvement — which would’ve been the case with Baker Mayfield and will be with Jimmy Garoppolo — in order to win eight or nine games instead of five, six or seven.
The end result is no Super Bowl appearance either way.
Yet even as I promote this scenario, I accept it could be painful to witness. The 2011 season ended well as the team gained momentum through its defense and running game. But there were some awful moments too. Mainly because the quarterback play was horrific.
To be frank, this 2022 season could be worse. This time we don’t know if a Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas combo will emerge — or that any of these running backs can emulate Marshawn Lynch’s impact.
My memory of 2011 is also potentially clouded by what happened next — the successful addition of a brilliant franchise quarterback. Admittedly, it won’t be easy to do that again.
Thus, experiencing this coming season 11 years on might be a bit like that second viewing of ‘Lost in Translation’. It might not be as good as I remembered.
I’m sure some of the reaction to a bad season could be backlash to those who spoke positively about going through this. Having made the 2011 comparison to the current Seahawks and spent time saying what a jolly good idea this all is — it may be that I’m hoisted by my own petard if the losses begin to stack.
If/when we get to the point that things go bad — people need to get their act together and take it on the chin. I am prepared to do that but we’ll see how the noisy internet fanbase handles it — especially those who only know the Wilson era Seahawks.
This year needs to be about setting up the future. It needs to be about positioning to acquire a young quarterback of the future in 2023 while developing and shaping a better defense, O-line and running game to create the ideal environment from which to insert a young signal caller.
That is all we should demand or ask for.
As camp gets underway, that’s a message that probably bears repeating.
But it also could be difficult to watch. Some games could be really ugly. There might be little hope or enjoyment as the winter rolls in.
Still, it could be worse. You could be watching Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson playing two bored, rich people in Japan.
D.K. Metcalf’s contract situation
There was a slight glimmer of hope that the Seahawks’ top brass had an epiphany moment after the Wilson trade. Pete Carroll, for example, admitted they’d been ‘arrogant’ about the way they’d played defense over the last few years.
It was a welcome statement that suggested they were learning some lessons and moving on from some of the hubris that has dogged this team in recent years.
Yet since that press conference after the Wilson deal, they’ve since gone back to talking about ‘their way of doing things’ and have largely stuck to their guns.
In free agency they spent an absolute fortune to get not a lot in return. It means they’ve dramatically reduced their available cap space for 2023 already — as highlighted in this article. A lot of people are going to repeat over the next few months that the Seahawks have a lot of money to spend in 2023. They don’t. Not anymore.
They’ve also handled the Metcalf contract situation about as poorly as they could’ve done — allowing multiple top players to get deals done, driving up the market, following Christian Kirk’s league-changing contract in Jacksonville.
Short of Metcalf being unreasonable, which I suppose is at least possible, it’s unclear why they didn’t just agree to match or slightly better A.J. Brown’s contract with the Eagles right after the draft.
Now they go into another training camp with a contract question mark hanging over the franchise. It made a complete dog’s dinner of a situation with Jamal Adams a year ago — leaving the player undercooked, the defense ill-prepared and it was a media distraction for far too long.
They’re walking into the same thing again.
If they didn’t want to pay Metcalf a kings ransom they should’ve traded him — as the Titans did with A.J. Brown and as the Ravens did with Marquise Brown. By not dealing him, they indirectly committed to him. Now they need to do so financially by getting this done before camp begins.
They talk about their track-record of signing players as a positive but they’ve often paid too much, too late and created avoidable drama.
This needs to be sorted now.
I wouldn’t expect Jimmy G in Seattle
If the Seahawks were going to bring in another quarterback to compete in camp, you would imagine they would’ve been in the building by now.
You have to be able to lead. You have to be able to build relationships. You need to be the focal point.
It’s virtually impossible to insert a player into a position like that during a camp.
This is going to be a Geno Smith vs Drew Lock battle. A lot of fans won’t like it. I think it’s the right thing to do and I hope Lock wins the job. I want to see if there’s something there instead of watching a season of mediocre play from Smith. Yet Lock will have to grab the starting gig in camp and rightly so.
However — I’ll say it again. The key this season is to developing your young O-liners, creating a defense that actually functions properly and getting the running game going. Do that and regardless of wins or losses — it’ll be a successful season.
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Thanks for highlighting the ‘tanking’ aspect of all this; far too many people are ready to think this is something that the front office would/should do. I disagree 100% about this. That’s not how you build a winning competitive team. You take your lumps, remember those bad games, turn them into better games, use the experience.
I’m not even that doom and gloom. They’re not tanking. That’s not an NFL thing as careers are short, and Pete doesn’t believe that way. If players play to their capabilities, not even exceed, it’s a goodteam.
The rookie lineman are an issue, but it doesn’t mean they have to be horrible. Even middle of the pack with penny and walker stunning well, Seattle could be a nice club.
I’m not willing to bag the team till I see them play the first half of the season.
Where I disagree with Rob’s good write up is it’s NOT going back to 2011. Pete has a decade plus is success to build on, and contrary to national writers, the cupboards are NOT bare
Some people would argue that allowing an injured Russell Wilson to play last year is tanking.
Rob, thanks for posting a reasonable take on what Seahawk fans should expect this year. I fear that the 2022 Seahawks will be a very uncomfortable and unwatchable experience. Like the volleyball match scene in Top Gun.
You put bad quarterback play, with rookie OTs, with an upset Metcalf, with a horrific pass rush, and JA singlehandedly ruining the teams pass coverage, how can you expect to win many games? If DK leaves or sits out, you may only have one pro bowl level player on the roster. I am also looking at the Pats since they lost their franchise best ever QB. BB hasn’t looked like a genius since Brady left. They may be definitively proving that the quarterback is way more important that the head coach. Pete has made awful decisions the past few years with KNJ staying way too long, not to mention horrible draft decisions and trades made prior to this year.
I am definitely going to bet big on the Broncos destroying the Hawks in Game 1. I am also looking at the under of 5.5 total wins. I am nervous about the win total if they improve the quarterback position before the season starts. Years of roster attrition and bad front office moves have caught up to this team.
I actually think of all the times to play Denver — week 1 in primetime suits Seattle. We’ll see.
It is very fair to point out that Russ being with a new team, in a very hostile environment, may not go well for the Broncos Offense. My worry is that the Seahawks may perform well below our meager expectations.
At the beginning of the past two seasons, the defense has performed historically bad and improved as the season goes along. If that trend continues, along with the offensive limitations this year, it could get ugly early on.
Agreed. Rookie head coach on the road, defensive coordinators that know his tendencies; while they won’t have tape on Seattle’s defense, which could actually be their strength. It’s the best week to play Denver IMO
Excellent piece on managing expectations for the 2022 season.
Remember the last Holmgren season? 4 wins. Remember the Jim Mora season? 5 wins. Then PC comes in and treats the roster like a revolving door. Rightfully so, quickly cutting those who don’t fit.
Thanks for pointing out the Metcalf situation. It feels like a typical JS operating style.
I wonder how engaging Lost in Translation would have been if cast with, say, Bea Arthur, as the female love interest, rather than a young Scarlett Johansson?
It still would’ve been a pretentious load of old tosh about two bored rich people
tosh
/täSH/
rubbish; nonsense.
Tbf….what kind of movie is a bored rich person going to make? (Re: any relation to Copolla the patriarch)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y-w5-7shUQg
Bea Arthur lol
Here’s the problem with Jimmy G:
He is scheduled to earn $25.6 million. The 49ers would only take a $1.4 million cap hit if they cut him. So, there’s no incentive for the 49ers to take on a large chunk of his salary and the Seahawks won’t want to pay $25.6 million this season. The Hawks don’t have that cap space and won’t want to cut players or rework deals that take away future cap. Then what happens after the season? Do you pay Jimmy G as an unrestricted free agent or franchise him – probably not. If he signs elsewhere, you might get a 3rd round comp pick in a year (at best). Factor in division rivals and injury recovery/history and you can understand the stalemate.
The real issue at this moment is his injury status. Rapsheet reported he won’t be ready until mid-August. Far too deep into camp to demonstrate good health, and thus really make an effective run at a new job and convince teams he’s worth trading for and paying his full salary.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1549534725328539648
What’s more, if his recovery drags even a little that’s a problem for the Niners. $7.5m of his salary is guaranteed for injury so they wouldn’t get the full $25m of room if they cut him before he is cleared to play.
I think your assessment of WR contracts is a little off. The numbers associated with these contracts is misleading. If you look at the franchise tag number of WR year to year (which is based on real contract figures) then the top of the position has been paid about 8-9% of the cap consistently.
It looks like it’s going up, but it isn’t as a percentage of the cap.
I’m sure that is what the Seahawks and DK are basing his next contract on. There wasn’t going to be a discount by doing it early, the decision is whether they think he is one of those guys.
It doesn’t make sense that Kirk’s contract changed the league, mostly because the salaries haven’t really changed dramatically. When you take into account what these contracts will actually pay compared to the cap expectations in the years they will pay it.
$24 million in 2024 will probably by right in line with this consistent 8-9% number.
The receiver market exploded this year and the Kirk signing was a major trigger point for the market.
I don’t know how anyone can possibly argue otherwise.
Because anyone can look at spending as a percentage of the cap and see that:
1. the top end has maintained a similar ratio to prior years
2. the middle and rookie numbers have gone up so the position group is taking up a larger percentage than prior years.
Also, anyone could be skeptical that the Jaguars trigger a market change with any personnel acquisitions
The percentages of the cap are irrelevant Sean.
It’s a simple fact that a whole bunch of receivers received massive pay rises this year. It doesn’t matter whether the market had dipped below prior trends and has now returned or not (although you haven’t even provided evidence for this argument, you merely asserted it in your prior comment with a throwaway number). It’s also a fact that Christian Kirk received a contract that shocked the league and then the following players all received pay increases or extensions beyond Kirk’s surprising $18m:
Chris Godwin ($20m), Mike Williams ($20m), D.J. Moore ($20m), Stefon Diggs ($24m), A.J. Brown ($25m), Davante Adams ($28m) and Tyreek Hill ($30m), Cooper Kupp ($27m), Terry McLaurin ($23m), Brandin Cooks (£20m).
It means eight of the highest 35 players in the entire league, including QB’s, are now WR’s. The only other non-QB’s in the top-35 are elite pass rushers, two left tackles and Jaire Alexander.
It appears you’re just arguing for the sake of it.
Let’s go a step further…
Eight of the highest 35 players in the entire league, including QB’s, are now WR’s. The only other non-QB’s in the top-35 are elite pass rushers, two left tackles and Jaire Alexander.
A year ago there were only three receivers in the top-35.
You can take it a step further and highlight that among the 20 highest players you have 15 quarterbacks, Aaron Donald, T.J. Watt and three receivers.
A year ago, only DeAndre Hopkins was in the top-20 — on a contract that most (at the time) felt was a weird outlier.
We can all see the rapid increase in receiver pay. You don’t need to argue against it.
FAO Sean — I’m not interested in your further attempts to be contrary over the receiver contract market.
I’m ending the discussion because it’ll dominate the comments section in this article needlessly.
Everyone can see what happened at receiver this year. We don’t need to try and argue the sky isn’t blue.
If you don’t mind me also tying a movie reference in…
One of the best things about Maverick was they didn’t pander to the audience by pointing out that two of the pilots were female. We didn’t have to endure the eye-rolling drivel of dialogue with the male pilots jabbing at them that they are weaker or lesser because they’re women. Followed immediately by those blowhards getting bested in training by the women because YAY EQUALITY.
They were just there and were accepted as equal members of the team. They didn’t need to prove their ability, the premise was that they HAD ALREADY proven their ability and were accepted as valuable team members. By not going out of their way to point it out and making it a lazy Hollywood cliche, it gave the audience some credit and allowed them to get absorbed into the film.
That’s what I want from the Seahawks in 2022.
Stop this cycle of pandering by pretending challenges fans can see with our own two eyes aren’t real.
Your franchise quarterback not being happy.
Your pass rush is a dismal failure.
Your running game is broken.
Your star players holding in our out is a real problem.
Third downs on offense and defense are dismal.
Acknowledge challenges. Fix them. At least dignify us by being honest.
The last thing we want is another season of you denying the problems all year, then when asked in the season-ending press conference why the year went so poorly, listing those exact problems one by one and wanting credit for acknowledging their existence.
But this will be another season denying the problems. Because the main problem is a HC beyond his prime, who is a control freak and had stretches of downright awful decision making.
He tried to fix this or that part of the game since 2017, without actually succeeding, and the team just got worse and worse. The defense is a pure PC product, as Rob had pointed out numerous times, and it stinks.
All hope is bound on Sean Desai being able to alpha PC. PC is a narcist, who wants to have it his way. He will not accept opposition. He lost the locker room at least three times since 2017,and IMO ultimately after the 2021 Cards game. As the opposition grew louder, he traded/fired the lot.
I also fear, this is the reason why no top FA signs with the franchise, and each and every player down to a rookie RB demands more money for acceptance of a bad situation.
This is the reality we once and for all have to face.
100% agree. Love your post. I’ll add that he and his 2nd in command have done a very poor job of drafting for the most part and that’s also contributed a great deal to the erosion of this franchise. The perfect storm of that and the absolute power corrupting absolutely, the results of which you’ve state so eloquently, leaves us in a waiting pattern until Jody sells and the new owner cleans house.
In fairness though, it’s already clear he has ceded something on defense. All of their actions and words indicate a switch towards Vic Fangio’s system. The coaching changes, the personnel decisions, the things they’ve said. I’ve been really encouraged that it looks, by all accounts, like this is truly Clint Hurtt’s show and he’s added coaches that know the system too.
To me that is a positive and suggests Carroll might be prepared to be more ‘overseer’ in the Nick Saban type role rather than ‘control freak’.
Plus this was a much better draft.
So I get the issues — and I’ve voiced my own — but I think there are positives too.
The draft was good, and it was about time. My concern is that he’ll do like he did with the offense a couple of years ago and at the first sign of difficulties, he’ll clamp down on the changes and push things back to his way.
My other, larger concern is that he’ll go vet over rook with Walker, Lucas, etc. as we talked about on cha’s offense rundown thread.
I have a hard time believing he’ll e an overseer but I’d love to be wrong.
Pretty much all of this Big Mike.
Very stoked on the draft.
Happy with the Hurtt/desai combo.
Get that breakup going and start again. Also fine with….
But in the end unless Saban himself called Pete and said “you gotta let some stuff go,” Pete is until I/We see it, the king of meddling.
To be fair Big Mike, that was back when Plan A was pretty much just Russell Wilson pulling a rabbit from his arse.
But Plan A grew stale and predictable, and eventually ineffective, so they tried a Plan B from time to time, which worked until it didn’t (if at all) and then back to Plan A.
But there’s no Plan A anymore. At least not the old version of it. “Carroll’s way” as you put it was mostly Russell Wilson, but he’s gone so presumably if there is still a Carroll’s way that might rear its head during the season in the manner we all dread, it has to be something new, something we haven’t seen before. Which if it is, should we dread it? Maybe it’s something worth seeing.
I dunno, maybe I’m pollyanna about it. I know it’s going to be a season of ugly. But I’m embracing it because I see more things to be optimistic about with this team than otherwise.
You say, he ceded.
I say, he will try to change the system, because he no longer has a ProBowler and depth at MLB, and a whole chunk of mediocre, underdeveloped edge talent he otherwise lacks positions to play. In any sane discussion, this has to count as another panic move.
Yeah, the draft… a missed opportunity, IMO. There was generational talent to be had deep into late R1. We could have gotten a star pass rusher, a breed we are looking after since four seasons, the foundation of any great team. The Bengals ascendancy to the SB had as much to do with adding a great pass rusher through FA, as with having Burrow. Same goes for the Bolts, who are hopefully bound for a run. (Corrolary… you cannot turn around a franchise, if top FAs don’t want to play for you.)
What we got was PC picking an “Ifedi sequel”. “Lost in translation” is actually a very good allegory of what is happening.
Yes, you’ll point to Boye Mafe and benefit of a doubt. I’ll give you that. Ken Walker III in Seattle is not Jonathan Taylor behind a very good Colts OL, or CEH, for that matter. I’ll give you that it will work. Will they even play? Will they even sign? I say, yes and yes. Abe Lucas could be the steal of the draft, and I really liked what I saw from Bryant. I’ll give you all that, as well as Desai being a positive.
And still, at the same time, we have a really bad team with not a single position stable apart from perhaps WR. Even here, a holdout is looming. Our most seasoned vet is a freakin’ teacup.
This franchise is in real trouble.
I think you’re trying too hard to be negative here.
It’s clear with the coaching appointments he is embracing change and a switch to the Fangio way of doing things.
We should acknowledge that.
Please remember, folks, that if the Seahawks should find themselves in any position to draft a potential franchise quarterback in 2023—without depleting their remaining draft stock to do so, thank you very much—such positioning would be proof not only of a gaping hole at quarterback, but also of a broadly inadequate roster. Those take years to fix, by and large. Though pulled off a couple times recently, the Quick Turnaround™ is actually quite rare. The likelier outcome of a chalkily bad season this year is a predictably PCJS offseason next year, and what has that gotten Seahawks fans post-Malcolm Butler?
But as noted not so long ago, there are several recent examples of teams picking in the top-five and then having deep playoff runs within a year or two.
They can pick high enough to get a good QB and develop a defense/O-line.
As I’ve mentioned here and previously, the recent turnarounds in Cincy and San Fran are exceptions, and any duplication of such fortune should not be expected. More commonly, high drafting tends to be a multi-year process, followed by a multi-year mediocrity process.
Your team-building philosophy is characteristically pragmatic and sound, Rob, and really my complaint pertains to the broad assumption I’ve noticed within the Seahawks content-creation sphere (not with you, specifically) that the team’s positioning near the top of the draft would be a good thing—maybe even a necessary thing—and that their stay there should be brief, provided they’re terrible enough to get within franchise quarterback striking range.
Okay, so let’s say Vegas has this year’s Seahawks team right, Will Levis has a monster year, and PCJS snag Levis near the top of the draft: What kind of franchise would Levis be joining, really? A championship franchise, still? The reality of NFL history is that top-quality quarterback prospects go bottom-quality front offices, and those teams usually manage to trace a trajectory that tops out somewhere in the mediocrity belt.
I gave you a list of examples which you ignored then and seemingly are ignoring now. With the list was a detailed breakdown of each situation.
It was true then and is true now that a high pick is not a death sentence. Not sure why you persist with this take.
One that had a hopeless QB situation in 2022 and hopefully wouldn’t from 2023.
Again, you are catastrophizing a high pick unnecessarily.
Let’s not have this argument again.
Top-notch writing by any standard, well done. It’s going to be a tough year, as you say.
Thanks Tomas
I am thinking that the Seahawks are concerned about spending that much money on a wide receiver when they are going to try and run the ball more often and use the tight ends in more schemes.
The ideal situation would have been to have traded DK at the draft, but once that passed it does not make much sense to trade him now. All he will do is help another team and decrease any draft position the Seahawks might pick up.
It is better to see what sort of an impact DK can make this season with “average” QB situation and if he is a game changer than you can pay him, if not you can trade him at the end of the season to a team that missed out on the players moved last summer and after another season of reflection have decided that they need that type of star receiver.
I would expect DK to not be resigned this season and to be traded next offseason when the Seahawks know what the draft compensation is going to be. If this was not the case than I think they would have signed him already when any number of other receivers had signed deals.
Problem with “seeing what impact DK can make this season” is the fact that he is NOT going to play this year on his current contract. The End. There is just no way his agent is letting him play this season at 1/7 of his market value, risking injury or a below average season and then risking the franchise tag. DK has been very classy about all of this but something needs to happen before it does start to get ugly.
💯
a passing threat will open the run game up a bit as well.
Best case scenario for the team would be to go 4-13 (1 wins vs rams, 49ers, cardinals, and broncos) but to have a loss differential under 50. Something that would indicate that they were competitive in every game and that the losses are due to growing pains or quarterback improvements. But not winning too many that you lose out on having a great draft position and choosing the quarterback that you want.
You think this team is beating the rams and the nines?
I know people are Hella fired up for the “revenge,” game against the broncos….but let’s get right here:
“Rookie head coach?” What the what. The OC who turned around a listless packers and we’re hanging on to the idea that “rookie,” coaches make mistakes …versus…the probable all time champ of bad in game decisions in Pete carrol coupled with the Seahawks being listless to lifeless in the beginning of every game and most seasons.
That’s a draw.
A “fired up crowd.”….?….Seattle has completely whiffed on anything that looks like home field advantage. Trending over the last few years (with crowds) that they are almost better on the road than at home. I’m sure there will be hootin’ and hollerin’….but Seattle fans of now are a boring bunch.
That’s a draw.
Then there’s a qb who excels in prime time vs. Coordinators that somehow know his tendencies….which I don’t follow since they weren’t with the seahawks when #3 was here. But even if that was true about the coordinators they still until further notice are rolling out a pudding soft defense. Terrible turnover ratio. Bad against the run. Terrible at getting after the qb.
Again…that’s a draw.
They do have new defensive coaches and have switched to a 3-4 defense. So things should be different with the defense by mid-season when they are playing well together. That part is a very big change for Seahawks.
Offensively there have been so many new players that it’s hard to tell. But I think it’s a good sign they drafted for a star running back and two good tackles. Presumably they will have at least Penny and Walker for running backs, and they are both excellent.
I’m super excited for this season. But I need to see a ton of changes to believe in this new defense. Secondary questions with health. A dline front ‘3’ that isn’t daunting. An outside LB costing 10 million who we hope is better here than with the chargers. And some cool young pieces.
Pursue losing while building culture thru our young players = 4 wins. I’m prepared.
Another problem is that the majority of the CB room are on 1 year contracts. With a dwindling money supply for next year, this does not bode well for continuity for the next several years on that back end defense.
Have to say I enjoyed the 2011 season or at least I remember enjoying it. There was a 5-1 stretch in the back half of the season with back to back prime time wins against the Eagles and Rams which was absolutely fantastic. That Eagles game was one of my favourite games ever from the PC era and I’ve rewatched it fairly recently. And even the loss against SF in the penultimate game was kind of a moral victory because it showed we could hang with the best. Loved seeing Doug Baldwin emerge in particular.
The Worst thing is to go pay and watch a sequel movie with High expectations and walk out wanting 2hours of your life back . Im embracing this team with low expectations but there’s a possibility they might be sneaky good IF the Hawks fully embrace Letting the Best Man win and Not playing conservative offense.
https://rosegardenreport.beehiiv.com/p/battle-future-blazers-just-beginning
Not sure if anyone has posted this as it’s almost two weeks old (and I’ve been gone a bit) but some interesting insight into how the Blazers feel about Allen. First I’ve heard of Bert Kolde being the main one calling the shots and Jody being more of a figure head, and also the first I’ve heard of an exact number and date that the Seahawks poison pill would kick in with the city. I’m not sure about his assertion that she could personally benefit in the hundreds of millions if she holds on to the Blazers long enough as you’d think that money would go to the trust. I would have liked to hear a mention of how much she makes as CEO of the trust and if there might be a financial reason for her to keep the teams as long as possible.
https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/1551635206771179521
I have come to realize that I can’t dismiss the wily old man. He’s done too many good things over the years to say that his time is past. Years of experience have given him the edge over his competitors — many of whom have simply fallen by the wayside while he continues his successful run. Not a home run hitter (though he’s hit a few) his continued excellence can confound his detractors. Has he had a couple of misses? Who hasn’t? Perhaps some of his collaborators are to blame for those moments that did not shine so bright, tho he’s be the first to put the blame on his shoulders.
I know all this but somehow, against all the better angels of my nature, I’m still a little doubtful. I just can’t bring myself to go watch Top Gun 2. Am I crazy?
Yes
You’re not alone Ryan. I hated the first installment and even though our man Rob has gone to see it 3, yes, THREE! times now (or more! 😉 ), hasn’t made me change my tune. I hate Tom Cruise and think he is a hack (my opinion). I’ll wait until it is streaming somewhere.
I would urge everyone to see it in a cinema. It is a film that should be enjoyed on the big screen IMO.
For me, it is a masterpiece. I might even see it a fourth time before it leaves cinemas. Prior to this film, I’d only seen one other film twice in a cinema — the Dark Knight Rises. And that’s only because my dad and cousin wanted to go so I went along. I have actively instigated the three viewings of Maverick.
It is the antidote to all of the other green screen bilge being churned out by Hollywood.
Just pure fun, excitement, emotion, escapism. It is shot in a classical, genius way. It reminds me of the way Indiana Jones captured my imagination as a kid. It gets you going. There is one scene about half way through where I actually wanted to punch the air in celebration, I was that engrossed in what happened.
I’ve welled up every time. It drags every emotion out of you. Strikes every note.
And it has zero pretention or politics or ‘message’ to it. The whole premise is ‘sit down and enjoy the heck out of this’.
10/10
No, 11/10
I just looked at Rotten Tomatoes, such as it is these days.
97% critics approval score
99% audience approval score
Can’t remember the last time a film had universal approval like that
Paddington 2?
99% critics score, although apparently just 88% audience score, which means 12% of audience members are heartless monsters.
Tom Cruise is no hack. He’s made a lot of pretty good movies. Most of them way better than they had to be. I Missed a lot of his output in the 80’s or 90’s – Never saw the original Top Gun. But maybe I should go see this one. Good movies are so rare nowadays…
I see what you’ve done there 😀
Whew. I thought that post maybe went over everyone’s head or worse, just didn’t hit the mark!! (I will say that I saw Top Gun Maverick today in the theaters trying to beat all this heat and it did not disappoint. Very well done. I was a little lost not having seen the original but I caught up quick. Action scenes were impeccable. You were never lost. Solid emotional arcs. Tom Cruise is also still a really good actor. I’m looking forward to his Ed Harris twilight years. If he doesn’t somehow live forever.
It may not be a very good year, but I am prepared for that. As long as there is development and progress, then I am ok with the growing pains. And this old man remembers 2-14 so it can’t get much worse than that, right? Please tell me it can’t.
Interesting thoughts on Lost in Translation. I haven’t seen it since it came out and I remember thinking it was good but not great. I wonder what it would I would think of it 20 years later. I don’t wonder enough to watch it again though.
I just want them to get some swagger back. Become the bully again. If they do that and punch some teams in the mouth, then I could care less what their record is at the end of the season.
I’m excited to watch the young guys develop. Watch them play with a chip on their shoulder and get after it. Go Hawks!
A big +1 to that!
“for relaxing times, make it suntory time” …one of my favorite bill murray scenes
I think Pete will be pondering what his legacy will be during the next couple seasons. After the disaster he left behind at USC I imagine it’ll be important to be able to say Seattle’s success was him, not Russ and the LOB. I could be wrong, but I think this will/has caused him to rethink his approach. We saw a better draft than we have in years. He finally brought in fresh blood for a coaching staff, and it looks like we might have competency there. Although we’re in for a rough couple few years, Pete will leave the club either as a competitive unit, or one that’s close.
So I guess they’re going to announce the signings of Bryant, Mafe and Walker tomorrow on report day.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Absolutely bizarre
Well we know Walker wants a deal similar to Breece Hall’s with a nearly fully guaranteed contract. Is there a penalty for these guys to hold out of training camp since the penalties (daily fines and loss of a year of eligibility) are technically only for players that are currently under contract?
No penalties for unsigned rookies since they don’t have a contract they are violating.
Roquan Smith is the first player on a rookie contract in a while to actually declare a hold out rather than a hold in. He’s scheduled to make $9mil and believes he’s worth a little more than twice that, around Jamal Adams money. This might set the stage for DK to do the same since the difference in money he’s looking for (about 7 times instead of just twice) is dramatically different. It also tells me we may see more of this and that the threat of losing a year of eligibility doesn’t carry the bite that it used to.
For the record, DK’s contract request is well within his market value. I don’t know that anyone is going to pay upwards of $100 million for an offball LB in today’s NFL and I’m not sure this is going to work out for Roquan the way he wants.
It’ll be interesting to see what DK does.
Because risking playing another year on his rookie deal is a huge gamble. Only as much as threatening to actually hold out. And sure, you lose a year of eligibility. Are the Seahawks honestly going to sit on that forever? No. They’d just trade him.
So it might be more prudent for Metcalf to have a year off then cash in after a trade than risk breaking his leg.
And the longer something like that goes on, the less and less the Hawks would be able to get for him because of the appearances of an impasse. However, trading him now is a bad spot for the Hawks because adding DK to a team like the Cowboys might take that first round pick from #19 to #29 and I’m sure they’d prefer to know what kind of pick they’re getting. Here’s to hoping that they meet at a logical number and avoid an unnecessarily ugly situation.
It’s important to note that losing the year of eligibility doesn’t apply to Smith the way it does to Metcalf.
That penalty only applies to rookies entering the 4th year of their contract. Smith already has his four accrued years toward free agency in.
He’s holding in. Smart move.
It would be great if Lock wins the job, surprises everyone, and finally establishes as a top QB. for years to come.
Hey Rob, wanted to ask if you were able to get tickets for the Hawks-Bucs game. I know you have mentioned going in previous posts and then I saw what happened when the tix went online. Hope you were able to get a few, thanks for all the hard work.
I didn’t, but I am going to apply for press accreditation
Kyler “Independent Study” Murray…
https://mobile.twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1551661427949174784
LOL!
https://mobile.twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1551666049443139585
A pro quarterback being forced to do his homework…what a clown. Russ had his flaws but taking the preparation seriously seemed to be a top priority for him. As I imagine it is for every other QB.
It’s embarrassing, but the interesting thing to me is the penalty for non-compliance: The Cardinals can void some of the guarantees in the contract if he doesn’t do his homework. Oh my.
Florio:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/07/26/the-kyler-murray-homework-clause-doesnt-violate-the-cba/
Kyler don’t need no stinkin’ study! Kyler don’t need no stinkin’ practice! Kyler BORN to play quarterback!
Crazy. Just seems so avoidable. Do you job man. Now someone in the org basically has to hold him accountable every week. Make sure he does his homework and what, challenge him if they think he didn’t? Joker.
There was a Twitter buzz that Baker Mayfield played so much Halo the week of the GB game this last year he was not really prepared to play (4 INTs/5 sacks in a 24-22 loss) . Thus the ‘we want an adult at QB’ comment.
Kyler has been known to play lots of games too. Maybe that’s the reason for the clause.
Does playing Madden, as yourself, against your upcoming appointment count as homework?
Pretty crazy they had to put that in his contract. Ironically I think the best and most measured take is from the usually inflammatory Colin Cowherd. His point was this: so what? Brett Favre didn’t know what a nickel defense was 5 years into his career. Some people are simply blessed with enough natural talent that success is almost guaranteed. Now, he has to actually have success for this not to matter, but I think he will (unfortunately for the Hawks). Personally, I think the coach is the bigger problem there than the QB.
Having been a Seahawks fan when Patera was coach, McCormick, seeing the transition to Chuck Knox, Erickson, Flores, Holmgren, Mora and finally Pete it’s been an interesting ride since 76. In the Patera day you just hoped for a couple of good plays per game, forget winning. The drought continued until Knox showed up and We actually made the playoffs and won some games. More lean cuisine until Holmgren and again the playoffs follow by 2 years of mediocrity. Enter Mora for one year and then the questionable Carrol hire. (Many of the Seattle faithful felt that way but self denial has rewritten history) Successful QB’s included Kreig, Hasselback and of course RW. Zorn was fun to watch but got to beat up to see any real success.. Seattle has had 3 average, above average to franchise QB’s in the last 45 years. Moon had passed his prime when he retired a Seahawk. Welcome to reality Seattle fans. Franchise QB’s just haven’t been the status quo in Seattle. In fact league wide they are hard to perpetuate.
So now it’s down to Lock and Smith. Seattle is not in unfamiliar territory to those who have made the long and tedious Seahawks Journey. Here’s where I see some hope for 22/23 (this is a two year deal here). Similarities I can see in 22 thus far to the other successful regimes: an effort to improve the offensive line, adding youth to defense, running game and coaching. When you look back at the transitional years for this franchise that’s what made the difference. Krieg and Hasselback were not franchise QB’s and Seattle may not find the answer in 23, but the odds and draft depth are a big improvement over 2022. Adding youth on all sides of the ball. Some free agency gambles could be recouped in 23 with some cap loss but most of the 2nd year on the contracts have lesser guarantees so there’s room for error and replacement in 23. (2 year, 1 year deals).
I said all that to say this. I have seen Seattle in a lot worse straits than this. I think that some of the coaching changes, some of the players added and the fact that ,pundits think Seattle might be better suited for the USFL actually might make Seahawks Football fun again. It seems that with a low bar and a repetition of past paradigm’s shifts might actually support the argument that Seattle is actually moving in the right direction. Holmgren ran the bus into the ground and left the franchise a shambles (don’t forget Behring either). Seattle is nowhere near 2009 comparably. Training camp is here. I see a glass half full over the next two years. Enjoy the ride and let the games begin.
Boye Mafe checking in.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/07/26/boye-mafe-signs-with-seahawks/
I don’t doubt it.
Say, while we’re at it, let’s hear from Kyle Shanahan about Trey Lance…
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned it, but if you liked “Maverick” you will absolutely love watching the AXALP videos of the Swiss Air Force.
They train flying through the Alps at very low levels.
There is no way they would allow spectators that close to a fighter aircraft gun range in the USA.
Thanks for the tip. Watched it on U Tube and was blown away. It is amazing when sometimes the spectators are higher than the planes. Live firing and high speeds. Well worth watching (more than once).
The AXALP makes the Mach Loop and Star Wars Canyon look like a walk in the park, Kazansky.
LOVED CC – Tonesetter &Legend
Suddenly feel like our RB room is a bit thin without him.
Odds defo increasing that Walker will see the field which is great.
Just done want him to get overloaded esp if Penny gets dinged up.
FWIW have not liked the style of back they drafted/acquired for the last few years in DJ, Homer etc and wish we had a bruiser to compliment the group.
Legend is probably a bit too far to describe Chris Carson
I think a good, physical player hampered by injuries is fair
Ian Rapoport: #Seahawks star RB Chris Carson is retiring from the NFL due to a neck injury, sources say.
SEA will officially release him with a failed physical designation. Under the CBA, that allows Carson to receive several million in injury protection benefits. Seattle does right by him.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1551993459933954049
Ian Rapoport: “Chris Carson won’t make a retirement statement, just in case his neck dramatically improves. But this is where it stands. … And the #Seahawks, as they did with Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor and others, make sure he gets his money. Thus, the official designation.”
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1551993933093298176
Class act move from the organization. It has always done a good job taking care of its players. Best of luck to Chris and all his future endeavors. Dude played hard-nose football and it sucks injuries shortened his career
Dang! I guess we all knew this was probably going to happen but feel bad for Chris.
That’s a relief.
Yup. Hope he also retires from those pointless workouts while he’s at it.
Huge respect to a guy who has been an absolute blast to watch. Hopefully he can come back as a coach or something, wonderful attitude for a guy that came in as a 7ty round pick and did everything asked of him.
You’ll be missed CC
Obviously feel for Chris and wish him the very best. A very talented player who, like many, has suffered persistent injuries that prevented him maxing out his clear talent.
On a different note, can the Seahawks now please ensure none of their players ever work with Joel Seedman ever again?
Deebo has reported
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/07/26/john-lynch-deebo-samuel-reported-weve-had-productive-talks/
Bucs seizing the moment
I just cant get over seeing 45 beside Tom Brady’s name. I totally forget sometimes what an amazing story it is.
Doug Kyed: The #Seahawks are signing free-agent TE Jake Hausmann, per source.
https://twitter.com/DougKyed/status/1552026238998532096?s=20&t=ujJ8OhmqpPlP8rZV1QCJJQ
I would hope he’s a good blocking TE as he didn’t show much at all in the 4 games in 2 years he played at Ohio St.
Most likely purely a camp body. a very average 6-4/255 I believe.
These graphics…? smh.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1552021544724885504
(This one is much better, to their credit:)
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1552025591414546432
https://www.si.com/nfl/broncos/news/javonte-williams-nfl-teams-do-over
He was a huge blog favorite. Love to see Robs work validated like that.
SeahawksPR: The @Seahawks completed the signing of the 2022 rookie draft class this afternoon. #GoHawks
https://twitter.com/seahawksPR/status/1552039452427501569?s=20&t=_OK18er2srhsiq2xVTSnKg
Mike Dugar: Seahawks waived LB Ben Burr-Kirven with a failed physical designation and put the following players on PUP list: cornerback Tre Brown, linebacker Jon Rhattigan, tackle Liam Ryan and linebacker Tyreke Smith.
https://twitter.com/MikeDugar/status/1552045085071618048
Aaron Wilson: Seahawks worked out Keena Forbes, Adam Rodrigues, Keonte Schad and Eric Wilson
https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/1552047478647685120
In 1975 I was a Pittsburgh Steeler fan just my dad was Dallas Cowboy fan. I won more of his money at that time. In 1976 Seattle got there team. I’m a kid who got to skip school to go and spend the night in line Seattle Collisiu
DK reports in
https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1552071249882255360
I take it as a good sign that talks are productive. I felt like if anyone ever was going to hold out during the rookie contract, it’d be a guy looking at a 7x raise. I was hoping that meant a contract was going to be announced shortly thereafter but alas no. So here we go again, another Jamal Adams watch while JS quibbles over a few percentage points only to likely hand out the largest contract ever again.
I agree with Rob. Top Gun M was amazing. Watched it twice on the big screen, which is the only time I’ve done that in over two decades. I’ve thought about watching it a 3rd time, but have been too busy.
What a great movie!
Joe Fann checking in
https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1645679/fann-seahawks-8-uncertain-important-upside/
I’m with Brock Huard on Adams. I think his body is breaking down. I fear we’ve seen the best of him in New York. I don’t really see any upside. I hope they can adjust the scheme to make him more impactful in games but ultimately I think we’re just enduring the time until it is financially viable to move on.
12 games in 2020, 12 in 2021. Can’t count on him for 17 this year. You just can’t.
I don’t care much about him getting sacks. I’d prefer a handful of forced fumbles and tracking down some running backs behind the LOS. Far more impactful.
Stop having him try to do the DL’s job and let him do his.
I’d even advocate for him to play the “pick the tackle” role Desai used so effectively in Chicago.
Whatever we can get out of Adams and get rid of him when we get some draft capital and or savings on salary cap. Just accept what he can and move on.
Besides missed games from him this year, I expect business decisions as well.
Nice to see
https://mobile.twitter.com/DangeRussWilson/status/1552136960533090304
I’m not sure if it was intentional on Russ’ or his team’s part, but I do find it funny that in the first image Russ is the focus of the image and not Chris.
Has anyone here had any luck buying a jersey off of dhgate?
I saw this and it made me smile. I loved KJ as a player and glad he got to retire as a Seahawk.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/07/27/k-j-wright-signs-one-day-deal-to-retire-with-seahawks/
My vote is at least a place in the ring of honor.
Field Gulls posted a couple pictures of him signing his contract, and it looks like JS could barely hold it together. That says a lot about the esteem that KJ is regarded in. It would be nice if they could find a place for him on the coaching staff, assuming he wants to go that route.
1000 words
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1552366372750966784
Hats off to KJ Wright, the underrated and forgotten member of the best defense in Seahawks history. A professional on and off the field. A true Seahawks legend! Enjoy retirement!
Well said
Warmups first day of camp
DK is here but not participating- hold in
Tyreke smith PUp seems precautionary. He’s walking around with the DEs and hopping to the music.
Diggs doesn’t have a brace on his knee.
Eason doesn’t have half the zip on his throws Geno and Lock do.
237 sounds way too heavy for Penny considering the RB profile Pete prefers.
He did look a little heavy during yesterday’s practice (via youtube).
Dumb example, I know, but maybe just maybe he is willing to recognize his past stubbornness and change…(in more than just this, I mean)?
Legacy
https://mobile.twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1552378997308284935
Ep. 3 is out, btw.
https://youtu.be/A9Ev3F72qLk
Bob Condotta: Two guys I don’t see on field today are Dee Eskridge and Jamal Adams. Eskridge was limited yesterday with a tight hamstring an issue he also had in the spring.
https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/1552763749185884160
Bob Condotta: Eskridge just walked on field but is not practicing today.
https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/1552763968367669248
Eskridge reminds me of C.J (running back) made of glass.
He had a concussion for cryin out loud. I don’t call that being made out of glass. You go ahead and write him off though. I won’t.
“Carroll: Jamal Adams hand wasn’t right yesterday. Getting opinions.”
https://twitter.com/AaronLevine_/status/1552783517909524480
“When do you expect Jamal back?
Carroll: “I don’t know.”
https://twitter.com/AaronLevine_/status/1552784017094627328
Can we cut him after this year without a huge penalty?
Bob Condotta: Carroll says Dee Eskridge didn’t practice today due to hamstring soreness. But he says it’s not a pull and is a slight injury.
https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/1552784728620539904
DK re-signs, 3 year extension
https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1552790567867846656?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
There it is!
Sounds completely reasonable too
I’m happy it’s over. Metcalf seems like a hot head in the field. Off the field I get the impression that he’s just a solid person.
Yes! So relieved we got it done!
I’m sorry, what? Either they wiped out the fourth year of his rookie contract or Schefter did his math wrong.
A 3 year extension after his rookie deal is up in 2022 gets him to his year 28 season (2025). I’m guessing that is the case.
It crunches their cap a little. Guessing hits of
2022 $9-11m ($5-7m hit over his $4.3m rookie deal)
2023 $15-17.5m
2024 $20-23.5m
2025 $25-27.5m (only $4-5m salary guaranteed)
Very happy they got a deal done! And it looks a bargain compared to the contracts that several other star receivers got.
It’s not.
No, but it’s not way out of whack, either.
Correction: Did a double check on the numbers and wanted to say that it’s competitive rather than a bargain lol. Happy an extension got done nonetheless.
It’s possible that Jamal has every intention of having a record-breaking probowl season.
However, and I hate to say it, it’s also possible that Jamal has very little to play for this year and he knows it. He has already earned over 93% of all the guaranteed money on his contract. All that is left is $2.56 million that will be paid out on Feb 17 and is injury guaranteed. He has essentially nothing to play for this year other than a couple incentives: $250,000 (i.e., 10 coffee cups) for getting 3 INTs + 5 sacks this year (which we can all agree is actually quite unlikely; depending on the scheme, he might be able to get one or the other but hard to get both in the same season) and another bonus for Pro Bowl + Conference Championship berth (also extremely unlikely this year since he’s not even the best safety on his team). While I find it a little convenient that on the first day of camp is when “something isn’t right” with his hand, I wonder if IR would be the proverbial win-win.
For us, if we were to put him on IR this year and then release him after June 1 next year, we would only face cap hits of $7.1 million for 2023 and $14.2 mil for 2024 (the amount is set in stone, it’s just a matter of how many years over which it is applied) but would have cap savings in 2023 of $11 million by not having to pay his currently unguaranteed $11 million salary.
If he gets put on IR this year, he collects the remaining 7% ($2.56 million) of his guaranteed money, saves his body from injury, and doesn’t risk getting further exposed as an average coverage safety. Should he get cut then after the start of the business year, he could then shop his services to another team in a league of GMs that apparently still believes he’s a top 10 safety with that much less wear-and-tear on his body. While I don’t think he’d get another record-breaking contract, with an imminently exploding cap he could certainly get something- in terms of guaranteed money- more than the $11 million he would earn in 2023. All of this without having to risk looking like he forced his way out like he did with the Jets.
The only thing unpalatable for me in this is the 2024 cap hit of $14 million. However, the way these contracts are structured, he would likely be renegotiated or restructured after the 2023 season anyway and I would rather save $11 million next year to use for more impactful players.