Yesterday I was invited on to VSiN to discuss the Seahawks and the growth of the NFL in Europe. There’s no YouTube video but you can listen to the piece by clicking here — my section is approximately 15 minutes in.
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Enjoyed it Rob! Shawn King is mega bullish on our beloved Hawks but as you said, it all rests on the defense. Man if they can be top 15 then we have a great shot this year.
Can’t wait to listen to this but just wanted to thank you for keeping the content going through the doldrums of the off-season. Still stop by here daily.
Good call on NYG Rob. I had them #8 on my power rankings.
Jealous of their trench depth.
They also added Doente Banks, JMS and Jalen Hyatt in the draft. Very smart.
I’m the opposite on the G-man from you guys. I just don’t see Jones being good enough to get them over the 9-8, 8-9 hump especially since teams now have a season of film on how Daboll deploys him. They are really good up front tho………that d-line man.
I’m also opposite on the Giants (for the reasons you stated)….while I like Daboll, and feel like the Eagles will suffer a Super Bowl hangover…I feel like everyone is sleeping on Dallas. Cowboys may have the best defense in the league next year, excited to see how Overshown and Fehoko are deployed.
I believe the 49ers/Vikings will both take steps back next year, the South is a mess.
The Lions don’t count as a sleeper because everyone is talking them up.
Can the Cowboys be a sleeper though?
Why will the 49ers take steps back this year?
Why the 9ers will be worse this year
1) I do not believe in Brock Purdy *and neither do they*
2) offensive line will be worse and that Damn Left Tackle will be a year older
3) there was a lot of lost talent on defense. Only influx was an aging Hargrave.
4) Steve Wilks is a big step down as a coordinator
5) Shanahan hasn’t been himself this offseason, he has been getting into it with fans, losing his cool.
They are still a playoff team, but they have taken a step backwards for 2023.
I mean if a step backwards is going from no. 1 ranked D to no.3 or 4, then I don’t think that constitutes a step back per se as they are still elite.
Whether they believe in Purdy or not they have shown they can plug I’m anyone at QB with that system. So we’d better hope they believe on Purdy because if anyone else gets the job who is better we are all screwed..
Great segment Rob! As always just wish you had more time on air.
Good stuff Rob. Looking forward to the start of the season. This off season seems to be slower than a slug on Valium.
Wimbledon weather here in Pensacola the last few days. Hopefully, we will get better weather for the Blue Angels homecoming this weekend.
This is for you Rob.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL4D-SyfdLI
Anyone else on “Hard Knocks watch” for this coming season? I doubt that HBO and the NFL are going to pass on the season. The team that finally caves may get some concessions from the league. How about the NFL Draft in Seattle for 2026, Goodell? Pete doesn’t seem like the type that’d be bothered by extra attention around the VMAC.
The league wants the Jets to do it, and badly. Jets know it, and unless they are stupid, will drag it out and hold the Leagues feet to the fire.
You know Rogers will hate it.
Exciting to hear about the growing enthusiasm for NFL internationally. I would love to see the league expand to 40 teams, expansion in London, Toronto, Mexico City seem like no brainers…maybe Hamburg.
Yikes 40 teams….
Positives ( I suppose,):
1. Mexico City would have an unreal advantage over nearly every team at home except Denver being 7,000 plus feet above sea level. We’d need a new term for “gassed,” for teams like Seattle and their baby soft run defense. The home team probably would be fun to watch as they chuck bombs all second half against any team playing their 4th, 5th, 6th DB as everyone goes down with cramping.
2. Hamburg/London: UK hawkers get to enjoy games at a normal time. Finally the seahawks won’t lead the league in total air miles traveled.
Some cons of 40 teams: the playoffs are already a bit of a participatory joke show with average to below average teams making the cut.
Nfl draft coverage begins when? If there’s 40 teams surely there’s 18 maybe 20 playoff spots. I guess the draft could be in May if the superbowl is played in March.
Back tracking on the why Disney sucks thread….I’m against expansion for the simple reason that maybe a ton of things suck and things like espn are getting chopped up because doing a whole ton more of anything people like works for a little while until it’s no longer interesting.
Talk of having football every day/ expansion is like Disney thinking the marvel/star wars money machine works for ever.
I think the product will be greatly watered down. They already have trouble finding 15 quarterbacks in the league. Logistically, idk if it could work. Player’s Association would have a field day.
But money is the greatest factor in the world. As a counter point, DIsney proved that being money-hungry leads to bleeding money and assets blowing in the wind after a Thanos snap (MCU reference). League could cannibalize itself because of greed.
That’s a fantastic point on QB’s. Imagine how dreadful many of the teams would be from around 12-15 on down due to the qb play.
Great reference with the Thanos snap. As a fan of “important,’ cinema as much as goofy cinema….what would save any of that for them is something they can’t do. A hard pause and a new vision.
Look no further to how ludicrous the batman franchise was until Nolan came along and reimagined it.
Michael Keaton was the best Batman.
So what would contraction look like? Which 16 fan bases are you ripping teams from in order to develop a more perfect product?
Not to critique your metaphor…
But a Thanos Snap would mean contraction to 16 teams, concentrating the leagues resources into 16 markets and 16 super teams, leading to a perfect balance in all things?
I’m on the counterpoint, that maybe expansion is just what the league needs to increase the number of good franchises that are capable of developing a culture that can nurture a QB and get good play out of them.
Scarcity, by definition, should breed innovation. Opportunity for innovation that might capitalize on the sheer number of RB/WR/TE athletes that are coming out and developing systems for a non elite QB to just be a ball delivery system?
I’m not advocating for contraction.
Though I’d love for my fellow hawks to get more chances to see games I’m not convinced that a team flying across the Atlantic nine times a year would be great for simple things like recovery/jet lag.
Also its a little hard to know if the interest is in that NFL games in Germany are a big to-do or is there full time interest….? Unfortunately there’s no good way to know. I guess they could do eight games in London or hamburg and see how the energy remains.
I can see Mexico city and or Toronto.
As it stands, the NFL can’t maintain quality across the product now. AZ is the dregs. Maybe Houston becomes relevant. Jax is interesting but even their own fan base is pretty flaky. Tampa, Miami, others are cities filled with fans of other teams and never seem relevant very long.
Generally I like college more than the nfl. I find it very un-innovative. The coaching trees are pretty limited. The LOB era and whatever Reid/mahomes are cooking to me are the very limited selections of things that are interesting and different.
I could put together a pretty good expansion list….
My case is that the NFL franchises that are perennially bad are bad because they are saddled with bad owners that aren’t going anywhere. Look at how hard it was just to replace the awful Dan Snyder…
New blood and new markets equals opportunity for growth.
College Football does have a superior product (college basketball has the best product), but the reason CFB is superior has to do with the size. How many teams realistically have a shot at a national championship every year? The CFB playoffs?
Rather than relegation, how about the bottom 1/4 of the standings are up for sale?
Thanos snap in terms of simply wasted situations/players/etc blowing away as a waste. Not an actual snap where half of the teams are gone. I thought of things aging and turning to dust, blowing away, and it made me think of Peter Parker hahahaha.
I get how that read to others now. Had a better, more detailed context in my head.
I’m in the minority where I see value in a Felix or a Dame, even if the team isn’t competitive for championships. I want Harry Kane to stay with Spurs.
Most of my favorite Seahawks didn’t win Super Bowls, and I’m ok with that. Edgar is my favorite Mariner. Calbert Cheaney is one of my favorite CBB players, no championship.
I feel like rivalries make sport. The Seahawks should be playing the AFCW every year, engaging more fan bases, creating more rivalries, that is where the drama is…. UW/WSU haven’t sniffed a national championship in years, but the Apple Cup matters, for example.
Hard NO to Mexico City. Air quality is terrible all the time and elevation is ridiculous.
If you’re going to do a European division wouldn’t 2 Grrman teams make sense considering how into American football Rob said they were. One team in Munich and another in Berlin or Hamburg.
Teams don’t have the time to develop a quarterback. They won’t give the coaches the time to do it.
And with all other positions, the top product is getting drafted. They can’t develop every position across the board. That waters down the overall product again because 40 teams are trying to fill out entire rosters. I don’t want the on-field product to be bad enough that we hope that makes it better in the future. It’s already too hard to see your team win.
The logistics are just another issue The world is just too big.
I think each situation individually will be a big enough nail in the coffin. Then factor in the what the Player’s Association will think, and the fact that the owners most likely wouldn’t expand. Too many unknown seats at the table.
Then what about the cities that have failed at having teams? You need a base big enough to support it. There have been failures already. Some current cities are failing.
How dare you compare me to the great mouse!
I’ve had these debates with friends over the years who favor contraction, regardless of sport, in order to create more super teams and a ‘superior product’. Expanding by two teams led to the same hand wringing.
The dilution effect is real only if you assume that there is a superior process. The NFL is stagnated in terms of new ownership blood, new ideas, and also opportunity loss. It is also curious that you went right to QB play instead of coaching, or o-line play, or other factors.
The simple solution is a 16 team playoff, each division winner, then 8 wild cards. Last season the Lions stayed home, the playoffs would have been more exciting with them in. The NBA just had one of its best playoffs in years, why, because lower seeded teams outplayed their position.
The NFL is pushing for more games anyways, I’ve thought that 18 games with 2 byes would be fine as long as players have a season long quarter cap (64 quarters), rosters were expanded, and 10 locked in games against regional opponents. Given injuries in the NFL, placing an emphasis on building deeper rosters should lead to an overall better product.
Lastly, given where the Disney thread went, it is a real thing that by expanding the league that will by necessity expand the opportunities given to traditionally underrepresented groups in coaching and in management-so maybe you did find me out after all, Bob Iger in disguise!
I am guessing Toronto is not an option.
It is too close to Buffalo. In fact the Bills have played ‘home’ games in Toronto in the past. And with construction on the new stadium beginning in earnest, they might play some games in Toronto again between 2024-2026.
Why Vancouver is never thought of as a destination is odd. They have BC Place where the Lions and the Whitecaps play, it’s definitely big enough. Maybe not new and fancy enough though.
Adding the Whitecaps and Timbers has created a nice little PNW rivalry, and the Canucks and Kraken rivalry is developing nicely.
I think Toronto could have worked but the second home to the bills thing they’ve been working on for forever I think hinders that.
Vancouver could be awesome. But would need to put them in the west. If nothing more the seattle/niners fans would most likely mobilize pretty hard for those games.
The Toronto Deadpools would have some weird cheerleaders.
True that splitting Toronto and Buffalo may be too much…
B.C. (NFCW) And PDX (AFCW) would be great expansion locations for the NFL. Especially now that Eastern CA and Southern CA are underserved media markets. Walking around Sacramento at times you’d think the Seahawks played there, same with San Diego.
Add St Louis (NFCC) and SLC (AFCC), San Antonio (NFCS) and Mexico City (AFCS), Hamburg (NFCE) and London (AFCE)…
Some footage of Abe Lucas working out and playing guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6cUjTz_G78
Also, Keneth Walker III doing photography.
I was at a Grocery Outlet outside of Portland today. I saw a random display of 20 Junior NFL Team Footballs. All 20 Footballs said “LA Rams”. The lack of popularity for the Rams is hilarious that you are sending a merchandise overstock to a random city in Oregon.
If anyone wants to send me $17.99, plus a shipping fee, I can send you you own Rams Junior Football:)
That was a fun listen! Lots of good stuff you mentioned to look forward to.
Honestly, I’m pretty freaking pumped about this year. But there’s not much going on until training camp at the earliest.
Bad news Maverick.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/military/blueangels/2023/07/07/blue-angels-pensacola-beach-air-show-fun-starts-before-dawn-friday/70389834007/
Hey! The weather cleared up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmNioHlbRP4
They will be buzzing Seahawks training camp over Lake Washington soon!
You think they will take Devin Witherspoon up?
Thinking Football with a Woolen hype video
https://youtu.be/aNPDsgJKsIo
Sounds like NFL football is really becoming big-time in Europe. And Especially Germany. The owners tell everyone player safety is number one. But we all know what is in the eyes of NFL owners. GIANT DOLLAR SIGNS.
DJ talks Jared Verse to kick off a series on 2024 prospects.
https://www.nfl.com/news/scouting-jared-verse-florida-state-edge-rusher-similar-to-four-time-pro-bowler
Is it me or do the “high effort guys” always have the “has issues changing direction in space” tag on them. That is what I saw at Senior Bowl Practice from Keaanu Benton. Yeah, high motor guys are going to get washed out the play sometimes. If you are going all-out all the time you are going to get a little sloppy.
Having flashbacks of Darrell Taylor getting behind the running back in the backfield in the first half of last year and completely taking himself out of the play
Darrell Taylor 6004 267
Jared Verse 6004 254
Boye Mafe 6004 261
Although, according to John Boyle (and others) Darrell Taylor has slimmed down a lot this year.
Albert Breer had an interesting MMQB post this morning about the 2024 QBs. He speaks to Jordan Palmer, Trent Dilfer, and even Jim Nagy about each prospect. But some Seahawk fans will be like “BuT wE hAvE gEnO aS oUr QBOTF, wE dOn’T nEeD tHeSe GuYz!”
https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/07/10/upcoming-2024-quarterback-draft-prospects-caleb-williams-maye
I read the piece and appreciate it. But there’s no way you can compare Maye to Burrow.
Trent Dilfer said,
I’m not sure Tesla brains is much of a complement anymore, Trent.
Albert Breer has put out a deep dive on the draftable college QB’s for 2024. 1. C Williams 2. D Maye and 3. B Nix. Thinks JJ McCarthy and Ewers will also be vying for a round 1 pick. Said Williams is in the same class as Luck, Elway, Manning, and Lawrence as “generational quarterbacks”.
Oh no! Did I go on and out of a coma….
Trevor Lawrence retired!?!
Oh wait. Never mind. We’re just firing up the generational talent machine while the other generational talent is literally only two years removed from being drafted.
I know “best prospect at ‘x’ position,” is wordy, clunky, and miles less flashy but it’s pretty hard to have multiple generational talents all at the same time.
Maybe we should reserve that wording for a once in a seven to ten year cycle and not just for guy who is the best right now. I mean I’m old enough to remember when Bryce Young was really, really good at football at a much tougher conference…what’s that…?…..that was literally just last year and the year before….