Here are a few things that are on my mind at the start of a new Seahawks era…
1. What might happen with the offensive coordinator
When it was revealed by Mike Florio that Ryan Grubb was in the running for the job, the report was framed like it was on the cards. Other journalists confirmed the story and it felt like it could be confirmed quickly. This was their guy.
Mike Macdonald at his press conference also talked about bringing someone in who would be around for some time to build the offense. It didn’t sound like they were looking for a hot-short position coach or passing coordinator who might be seeking a short stay and a fast-track route to a Head Coaching gig.
That’s not to say Grubb wouldn’t be thinking big, I don’t know what his career plans are. Yet he appears to really like being in the Pacific North West, he wanted to be the Washington Head Coach and he might find it appealing to spend a few years running Seattle’s offense.
So far the only other person to be connected to the job is Tanner Engstrand in Detroit. It seems pretty clear that John Schneider is a fan of the Lions offense given he flew to Detroit for a second interview with Ben Johnson. Schneider said he was rooting against the Lions and Ravens in the playoffs so he could speak to Macdonald and Johnson. It seems they were the two prime candidates he was focused on. Engstrand is Johnson’s right hand man in Detroit.
It’s possible we’ll learn of other interview requests over the next 24 hours and the situation could change (there is a Rooney Rule element involved in coordinator hires these days). Here’s my prediction. Grubb is in the driving seat for the job. However, the Seahawks see a possible opportunity to get the Johnson offense with Macdonald as Head Coach, essentially getting the best of both worlds. Thus, they’ll interview Engstrand. If he blows them away, it could get interesting. If not, Grubb will be Seattle’s new offensive coordinator.
2. Changes are coming at quarterback
Schneider was lukewarm when discussing Geno Smith at his solo press conference a couple of weeks ago. It was a far cry from the regular effusive praise Pete Carroll would offer Seattle’s quarterback.
Macdonald similarly followed suit. I’ve attended enough press conferences to know when an answer is calculated. This was the new Seahawks Head Coach being non-committal and keeping his options open, when asked about Smith:
“Well, we’ve played against Geno. He’s a really good player. Pretty sure he’s at the Pro Bowl right now. But we’re going to build around the quarterback. You’ve got to. Just like we say on defense, we build the system around the players on defense. We’re going to build it around the players on offense, and the most important player is the QB. We’ll see how the whole situation shakes out over time.”
A lot of people have focused on the first bit of that answer. I’d focus on the last line. “We’ll see how the whole situation shakes out over time.”
Smith isn’t a problem for Seattle but he isn’t the long-term answer either. He’s a bridge, who’s about to see his cap-hit triple in 2024. Many believe a $31.2m salary is fair for a player of his quality, compared to other quarterbacks. Alternatively, the team is $9.5m in the red for effective cap space. Serious, difficult decisions need to be made. That might include making a saving at quarterback. They might have to re-set things from a cap perspective this year.
Macdonald name-dropped Drew Lock, a free agent, more than once at his press conference. Schneider was a reported fan of Lock’s before he was drafted by the Broncos. I don’t think Lock is better than Smith but Schneider might think for a bridge quarterback, the salary difference between the two players is significant enough to go with the cheaper option.
I also think Schneider is itching to draft a quarterback. I think he might start taking his shots at the position until he finds greatness. Putting a rookie with Lock and opening up the competition might be a decision they wish to take.
New eras often start with a new young quarterback. If Macdonald wants to build something to last, he might prefer to take on a long-term solution and get on with developing a player who can be the starter for years to come.
Smith lost his biggest advocate in the building when Carroll departed. Schneider is going to have a plan at quarterback for the long haul. The Seahawks no longer have to think shorter term after making a coaching change and can plan ahead. I think there’s a good chance they will draft a quarterback early. Grubb’s potential addition will make connections to Michael Penix Jr obvious — and he has the kind of arm, experience and college success Schneider likes.
Thus, I think the question will be — do they cut Smith before February 6th to save money or do they keep hold of him and try to trade him for a modest pick, before his contract makes it impossible? Either way, I think change is coming.
3. The Seahawks are going to do things differently
The Carroll/Schneider era was full of splashy trades and big acquisitions. We’ll find out over the next few years whether that was more of a Carroll thing or a Schneider thing. I suspect it was Carroll, though.
When I spoke to someone recently who worked closely with Ron Wolf in Green Bay, I asked about the approach to team building. Wolf was Schneider’s mentor. I was told that the focus is always on building through the draft. That was the lifeblood of your team. The trenches are king. Raw physical tools were not as important as great tape. All-star games were a means to identify traits you missed in the fall, before returning to the tape. Focus on positives and what a player can become, not the other way around.
As I was listening I got a sense that the ‘best player available’ approach of the 2022/23 drafts were more closely aligned to the Wolf philosophy. Before that, there were a lot of instances where things were different.
I asked whether there was a difference between the late, great Ted Thompson and other Wolf disciples, given Thompson had a reputation for being quite a conservative GM who focused almost exclusively on the draft. I was told no, Thompson, Schneider and co. were all cut from the same cloth.
If you look at the way Baltimore approach things in their front office, they too have been quite strict in their approach. They build through the draft, cherish their picks, rarely make splashy moves via trade or in free agency. They have been quite calculated with their team building process.
I’m convinced Seahawks fans are going to spend a lot of time discussing whether the team will go after Patrick Queen, Justin Madubuike (who will probably be franchised) and Geno Stone. My prediction is — they won’t. They don’t have enough money to do it, as a starting point. But I don’t think they are going to build this team by throwing big money at outside players, even if they used to play for Macdonald.
Remember — Macdonald said in his press conference that he didn’t know what the defense would look like in Seattle yet because he will tailor the scheme for the players. He isn’t trying to bring Baltimore to the PNW. He’s trying to create something unique here that best suits the players at his disposal.
What do I think this means? I think there will be a big focus on improving players on the roster and getting them in the best position to succeed. That’ll include players who have already enjoyed success, such as Devon Witherspoon, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. It’ll also mean getting more out of Derick Hall, Cam Young and Mike Morris — who spent most of the season out with an injury.
They might bring back Jordyn Brooks, given Schneider’s reference to Baltimore and Seattle often liking the same players. In the 2020 draft, there was a consensus top-three linebacker group expected to go in the same range — Kenneth Murray, Jordyn Brooks and Patrick Queen. It’s plausible both teams viewed the latter two similarly and believe Brooks can break-out under Macdonald, as Queen just did in his contract year. They won’t have enough money to sign both. The contract will need to be right but Brooks will be cheaper.
Other than that, I’d expect a heavy focus on the draft and attention to value in free agency. Again, that’s what Baltimore do. They aren’t big free agent spenders. They find cheap, role-playing talent to complement their drafted stars.
Speaking of the draft — this is a rich class for offensive linemen so they’ll have opportunities to add there. There’s some depth across the different D-line positions. There are plug-and-play linebackers in the class including Junior Colson who played for Michigan when Macdonald coordinated the defense. He could be available in the third or fourth round.
I think this will be a different approach though. I’m not sure Schneider will become conservative like Thompson but I do think, moving forward, the draft will be the focus, the trenches will be critical to the building of this team, they will draft and develop, they will look for value in free agency and Seattle’s approach will be increasingly reminiscent of the Packers and Ravens.
My preference is for the Seahawks to focus on getting younger and cheaper right now. I fear that 2024 is already a lost year due to cap issues and having too many free agents . They need to focus on shedding cap space for 2025 and beyond.
They are already the 6th youngest team. I think it’s a forgone conclusion their 1 or both safeties will be cut. Too much money in them. Diggs isn’t the player he was the prior year. Would rather keep Love and draft or sign someone
The 6th youngest team buoyed by old players at critical positions; Geno, Bobby, Diggs, Lockett, Reed, Williams, etc.
We aren’t the Packers in that regard.
Buoyed by young players at critical positions: Cross, Lucas, Nwosu, Mafe, Spoon, Woolen/Brown, DK, JSN, K9, Charbs
I hope you are correct about the team building philosophy going forward, Rob.
The past couple of drafts do appear to be closer aligned to the “best player available” strategy.
Though, not so much the “building through the trenches” philosophy.
they conspicuously passed on lineman to get skill position players at key points in the draft.
On the defense, they grabbed three last year (Morris, Young and Hall) and one the year before (Mafe). You can argue whether Hall and Mafe technically played LB, but I see them as DEs. And they picked 4 OL guys (Lucas, Cross, Bradford and Olu), three of whom were starters last year, so I don’t think you can fairly say that they didn’t attempt to “build through the trenches.” Would I have liked an impact DT earlier, sure would have, but you can’t have everything.
Fair enough.
I guess I was focusing on 2 second round running backs and a first round slot WR… not to mention, bypassing Benton or another big body for Hall.
I’m not sure I consider the later round picks (Olu, Bradford, Young) to be foundational pieces. More like flyers that we hope will turn into something.
Bradford looks somewhat promising, but I’m not convinced that any of them wont be replaced on the roster over the next year or too.
But, yeah, Cross and Lucas were big investments that have promise.
Fair enough, but you can’t fill out a roster with just first and second rounders. I think you HAVE to hit on some mid and late round picks. Hopefully Olu works out (if only they had drafted Creed Humphrey, right?). I think one of Pete’s big mistakes was not letting a lot of the younger guys play more in his later years. You can’t see what you have if they are on the sidelines.
Hey Rob, I appreciated your comments about the press conference yesterday. Macdonald seems serious, focused, and humble. It was clear is a players-oriented coach, and it will be interesting to see how he bring accountability to this team. I hope the efforts of players jogging after opponent receivers will be gone. It will be fascinating to see how he employs Devon Witherspoon, perhaps our only true gem on defense.
Excited for this new era of Hawks football!
Great thoughts as always, Rob. Thanks for the continuous coverage of this.
Can you pin this at the top of SDB for the next two weeks?
If Geno gets cut and lock signed, there’s going to be a freakout about how Seattle thinks Lock is better than Geno and they’re out of their minds and Pete was right to choose Geno.
That’s just not the case. $31m for Geno vs say $5-6-8m for Lock is a no-brainer.
If they release/trade Geno, imagine all the speculation which will ensue about “…the SeaHawks must be “trading-up” in the draft for one of the top 3 QBs…” While nothing should be considered out of play I suppose, I would much rather see them keep the future draft stock that would be required to move-up, and go with someone like Rattler.
Neither of these are good enough, we need to find a way tk get a real franchise quarterback.
Rob,
Fan of an opposing team, but I love your work. Wanted to point out a typo — “as Quinn just did in his contract year” — should be Queen, not Quinn. I can see how/why you made the mistake. Fortunately for Seahawks’ fans you won’t be typing “Quinn” too often in the future.
Plz gawd, JS, find a way to off-load some older players w/ heavy contracts for late round picks.
You don’t win with late round picks.
Very incorrect.
Late picks are good lotto tickets for a new staff to have. Kam Chancellor was drafted with the pick acquired for trading Rob Sims ; Byron Maxwell with the pick acquired for trading Lawrence Jackson; Josh Wilson trade became the Richard Sherman pick; Deion Branch became the KJ Wright pick ; Aaron Curry became the JR Sweezy pick
Great points. Love me some picks that become gems!
yes and no and maybe
But you win for sure on the pocket book
Tom Brady says hi
I’ve heard (apologies, I can’t recall exactly where) that the Hawks are very unlikely to cut Geno, and would more likely make a trade if its decided to move on with someone else at QB. Any legitimacy to this?
A fine plan, until the offers aren’t there. Then you have a call to make
So I think everything’s on the table
Geno brings a R4 pick at best. Probably lower than that, in reality.
take it
I heard one of the KJR hosts say that yesterday or the day before, but don’t remember where they got it from.
Cut, or maybe trade, Geno.
Resign Lock, draft JJ McCarthy, and as many front 7 defensive players/offensive lineman as possible. Let Lock and McCarthy compete for the job.
Do those things and make a few moves to get the team in better cap position (convert Lockett’s salary to a bonus for instance) and I am happy. I wouldn’t be upset if they found a way to give Jamal Adams 1 more year if they can make the numbers work, I think MacDonald might be creative enough to use him in the right spots while also protecting his body from too many ‘in the box’ snaps.
I hope it’s not J.J. McCarthy
I know I am in the minority but I stand by it. I think JJ is gonna be really good.
I don’t buy into Penix or Nix.
Time will tell.
Me too. He could maybe develop into a plucky sidekick for a starting quarterback. Trouble is, the survival rate of plucky sidekicks isn’t good.
I don’t think JJ McCarthy is going to ever make the quarterback position better. For most teams, but definitely us.
I’d rather we get someone that his team has never tried to hide as a game plan.
Albert Breer:
We’ve never had that really bad year where the Seahawks got rid of expensive veterans and sucked all season for draft picks. What do you think the odds are that they pursue that strategy next year? Figuring they will have one brutal year and then make up for it with draft picks and resetting the veteran salaries.
I think there’s no chance they do that
Competitive while resetting will be the key
Texans-esque
If I had a vote, I would definitely be in favor of biting the bullet to clean up the cap this year. It’s time eat the dead money on Geno, Adams, Diggs, and Dissly.
Whether any of those four are good enough to cause a significant shift in win/loss for 2024, I kind of doubt it. But it would be great to go into 2025 with a young roster and the cap space needed to fill holes.
I think you can fix the cap situation without going in the tank. My hope is that they try to do just that.
A shared vision was something JS & MM both mentioned a few times in the presser. I think that’s stout defense and physical on both sides. Don’t need to suck all season to target some dogs. Just need to get rid of the overpriced fluff.
Suck or don’t suck I am fine either way. I look at the upcoming season as one for Macdonald to remake the team in his image and get everyone to buy in and compete like crazy. If he surprises us all and has this team clicking early, that would be fantastic, but there is a lot of work to be done and I don’t expect him to get it done in one offseason.
I think there’s a good chance they move on from a bunch of guys. But it won’t be for the purpose of losing. It’s just gonna be moving on from players who don’t fit the new window or a competitive mindset.
Look at the 2010 offseason. The roster is not near as bad nor is Schneider brand new to the team.
Traded Seneca Wallace
Released Deon Grant
Traded Rob Sims
Traded Lawrence Jackson
Leroy Hill took a paycut.
Traded Josh Wilson
Released Houshmanzadeh
Released Craig Terrell
Released Julius Jones (also had him take a pay cut at cutdown day.
None of those guys ever did much else in the league, but it was forward thinking and ruthless. They moved big contracts, fan favorites, high picks.
We’ll see how Schneider and Macdonald handle it.
Don’t be ignorant please. These humans play the game to win, not to fold. Such a stupid comment my fury little friend.
I’m hoping they are going to take a more analytical approach on all levels including g the draft and team building. I think Pete having allegiance to his guys made them draft players that they probably should have.
I’m not sure what the cap ramifications are for cutting Smith before Feb 16, but if they do post-June 1 cuts to him, Adams, Diggs, and Dissly the team would gain roughly $57M of cap space. Then bring in Lock on the cheap, draft a rookie QB, invest in the trenches, and profit.
From what I understand, you can only do post June 1 cuts of two players on your roster. Adams and Dissly would be the only ones that make sense. Diggs is going into the last year of his deal anyway and Geno is better cut before his guaranteed money and roster bonus kicks. If they wait for those to hit, you can only keep or trade him.
Actually, Dissly is in the last year of his deal, too. So, no need to do a post June 1 cut either. Lockett and Dre’mont Jones are the only other two that make any sense and I don’t see that happening. Curtis can correct me if I’m wrong here.
Cha has mentioned many times that Geno has a roster bonus that kicks in around 5 days into the league year (mid-March).
It’s around $10M – meaning we don’t free up nearly as much as you would think unless we trade/cut him by 3/18 or so.
2024 Base salary ($12.7m) is guaranteed five days after the Super Bowl, not league year. The roster bonus ($9m) kicks in five days into the league year.
I am not a huge fan of GBs front office since Wolfe. How many SBs did those guys win? Tell me again how awesome and genius it is to refuse to bring in great players in Free Agency, instead signing third tier talent and slowly drafting a roster…
That gets you into the playoffs, but not beyond that. Carrol-purgatory land…good enough to compete for the playoffs every year–and good enough for Front Office types to hold power for a decade or two–but not good enough to regularly compete for SBs, like the Pats with Brady, or KC.
Even the Pats occasionally went after great players in FA…
My hope is JS is his own man, and will leave no stone unturned in seeking to build and maintain a Championship roster. And that means signing the occasional Superstar Free Agent, or making a big trade, if need and opportunity align.
Both Wolfe and Thompson deserve scrutiny for stubbornly wanting only their own draftees.
I don’t mean that as a knock on Rob at all. I have not been a big fan of GBs front office for a long time. They seem to value their own tenure more than taking a big shot at winning SBs.
Reggie White. Charles Woodson. Hell even Santana Dotson was a worthy FA signing.
One
Came close multiple other times
Give me that any day
After hammering Dallas and basically giving up the game to SF, I’m bullish on their future with Love and think they’re on the right path to challenge for some titles.
I think with the QBs they’ve had, in all those years, it’s pretty underwhelming.
They did great when they signed young stars in FA–White and Woodson. A couple more might have helped them over the top into a Dynasty.
I will always believe those guys after Wolfe were more interested in staying in power than in winning multiple Championships. With more guys, it was achievable.
If Aaron didn’t shrink in the playoffs, they’d have gotten a couple more imo.
But it’s kind of great he did because he’s a bit of a jerk store
Yes
I’m treating this as a fresh start vs ‘rebuilding’ and I’ll be patient as they lay the proper foundation & build it right. It’s a new era.
Cutting a ‘healthy’ Adams is my top priority. Diggs too. As mentioned above I’d take Lock as a bridge vs $30+M Geno. I’d dangle Metcalf to see if someone makes us ‘an offer we can’t refuse’. It’d have to be big, Jamal Adams-esque. (And use those resources on the LOS & to potentially move up next year for a QB)
I LOVE when this team has extra draft picks going into the draft and feel that those drafts are significantly better vs the drafts where we’ve tried to manufacture picks because we were short. I hope they get back to churning & looking for gems to fill the roster vs paying big bucks to non-difference makers.
Excited again for the Seahawks future. We’ll have to win the QB lottery to get back to the top but a fresh start is a most welcome change. I believe that John has a vision for this org. Go Hawks!
DK’s don’t grow on trees. I’d see akin to Tennessee trading AJ Brown, which was a huge blunder that set them back. And if the goal is to draft and develop a rookie QB, you want to surround him with as much talent as possible.
It’d take BIG compensation to make it happen.
Tennessee flubbed it trading Brown.
Kansas City nailed it trading Hill.
They were both contenders with mature rosters. In our case we are looking to become one over time. If it was a big enough return to jumpstart that project it’d be worth considering.
Thing is if we trade DK we have the aging Lockett and JSN as our only real receiving threats. So another year from now and we only have JSN and pray for Bobo to be good. And we don’t have Andy Reid to run an offense and call the plays. It’s still kind of mind-blowing the Chiefs can have a fearsome offense with Kelce being the only weapon you have to gameplan for. They’re definitely the exception to the rule that you shouldn’t trade away rare talent.
Only if Seattle completely sat on their hands. I imagine the position would be addressed.
Compensation matters here. Is there is absolutely no way that you’d trade DK? What would it take?
They won’t trade DK
The plan is to make him elite, not get rid
Great article Rob. I suspect they will hold on the Geno as a bridge while aggressively addressing the QB position in the draft. They can free up enough space to begin reshaping the roster by cutting Adams, Mone, Dissly, Bellore, Lockett (sigh), and maybe Diggs. Making Lockett and Adams post-June 1st cuts adds significant wiggle room if they want to be aggressive. I would anticipate they will see a significant difference between Geno and Lock.
I don’t know how they can find a trade partner for glGeno, but it somehow they can pull something off that’d be pretty amazing.
I think John is going to be angling for picks. Even if it’s just backend volume in a shallow draft.
Do we think Denver is enamored with Jarrett Stidham? A trade to the Broncos would be sublime.
I don’t if Denver wants that press! Trading for another Hawks QB…
I could see New England, Carolina (Maybe Canales wants to sit Bryce for a bit?), Atlanta, Tampa (If no Mayfield), Minnesota (If Kirk leaves), Las Vegas, Washington, and Pittsburgh could all have passing interest.
I don’t think he’d garner above a 4th even though a cap hit around $20 million is a fine enough deal, which might get better if a team negotiated his roster bonus down.
Hawks rolling out Tannehille, Lock, and a rookie is the early February guess.
I’m not sure what is making me more annoyed today, the fact that fans say the Seahawks are so close with Geno at QB, he’s on a bargain contract so thereforefore is untouchable, and MM will fix the defense, or that Bo Nix is in the echelon of Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels for being a glorified checkdown merchant.
Bo Nix is nothing more than Christian Ponder, who took advantage of a weak conference and used a playbook that is as simple as a children’s popup book with pictures. I’m sorry, but I just do not get the hype with that guy. He is the definition of average and do teams really want that in the first round?
I like the idea of McDonald building a unique D for Seattle, rather than just doing Baltimore’s D.
Going out on a limb to predict Seattle will draft JJ McCarthy in R3 (78 or 81) if he’s available.
I would find it hard to believe he’s intrigued by the Brock Purdy of college football.
Please no
I think selecting Grubb as OC means Geno will be retained. Grubb is the king of the “no read for the QB” offense, and this would help Geno immensely. He crumbles when he has to go beyond one read and he never sees wide-open receivers if they aren’t his first read.
Any other OC means a QB in the draft, either this year or next.
You don’t need to pay a QB $31.2m to do this
Lock would do well if he didn’t have to read either. LOL
If the goal of the Seahawks is to provide entertainment, I would find nothing more entertaining than hiring Chip Kelly for OC and drafting Bo Nix.
The meltdown at this blog and throughout Seahawks Twitter/X would provide me with a lot of entertainment.
Troll much? Rob doesn’t deserve this type of crap.
This is Seahawks Draft Blog. Not the Ducks. Please, treat it with respect or go away.
Very smart.
There’s the wise old greybeard the wonderkid Macdonald needs.
Yup, the figurehead and mentor. Perfect.
Now give me that OC!
A voice on defense that knows how to convey marching orders too.
Bonus – a former NFL DB and a DB coach.
Paired him with Scott? Woolen, Witherspoon, Bryant, even Love will get top guidance.
King Arthur bringing in Merlin?
That’s wild! I’ve long admired Frazier, despite his last year with Buffalo not going well. I was surprised his HC career went poorly, always rooted for him to get a second chance.
Seems like a good deal for both McD and Frazier. Hopefully both do well, and in a year or two they do so well Frazier lands another HC gig…
Seems like a great Get for Seattle to me…a good mentor for McD.
Great hire! I wonder who Softy was talking to because he randomly asked Mike Holmgren what he thought of Frazier yesterday and Mike said he was a great guy
Outstanding
Rob – continuing to “nail it” for the last 2-3 weeks. Best content by far anywhere on the Hawks. Really appreciate you!
Like what I am hearing from and about Macdonald. I think he hit on the best coach in this cycle! Stoked for the future. Make a clean break and go young and hungry. Cut Geno by the February deadline – you can always resign him at a lower salary later if the market is cold on him. I would cut all the dead weight now and let the duo of JS and MM go for the moon. It might take a year or 2 but change the culture and draft quality players who can be developed. Future is bright for the Hawks.
Thanks!
Leslie Fraser as assistant Head Coach. Interesting
https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1753552722630971624?s=46&t=T4uIDQQR1IBAGOgFC4RGbQ
Fantastic hire
I agree whole-heartedly!
I wonder if he will be the de facto DC or if another hire is coming. This sounds great. Now I expect them to swing for the fences with the OC.
😆
Great move. Love this hire.
The tossed salads and scrambled eggs Scheme? Mike’s pop culture references already show he’s playing 4D Chess.
One more name off the market, it appears.
Well lookie here… From Conor Orr, SI.com
https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/01/31/seahawks-hire-mike-macdonald-ravens-defense-smart
Nice find Sea Mode
I know both Cha and Rob have given the numbers in the past but I have forgotten and can’t find. How much does it cost to dump Geno as I remember we’re on the hook for some already. Thanks for all the info these last couple weeks.
https://seahawksdraftblog.com/curtis-allen-guest-post-the-options-with-geno-smith
I’d be fine with Grubb. I don’t think you can count on him implementing the Washington offense. He might just be viewed as innovative. Of course you could have said the same for Chip Kelly…
I’d say roll the dice unless there’s someone else out there you really really want.
Ten years ago today 🏆
https://twitter.com/CigarThoughts/status/1753458675036090603
what will Frazier be if not a nonPlay-calling DC?
A mentor, sounding board and highly important individual for the young HC
Assistant HC. To help McD with being HC. McD is brand new at it, he can use some help and a Mentor. Fraziers HC gig failed, but that only means he knows a bunch of pitfalls and can help McD avoid some of them.
I get all that. But he will be coaching a unit too right?
Leslie Frazier us actually a pretty good defensive coach. This is a great move all around.
I don’t think so. I think he’s purely there to support McD, and to hopefully get a second shot at his own HC gig.
I’m shocked because I thought Jody had tightened the purse strings. Guess Ownership is willing to pay Carrol to bugger off, McD the most ever for a rookie coach (up yours Goodell!) And pay Frazier.
Good for Seattle!
Leslie Frazier as DC is so interesting as he interviewed for Head Coach when Pete was hired to fulfill the Rooney Rule requirement.
Son of Jim Harbaugh coming to Seattle?
https://twitter.com/mzenitz/status/1753550894887588342
I don’t know how to feel about that one lol!
I’d be very happy. I was hoping he’d return to Oregon State to join Trent Bray’s staff. Gave up that hope when Bray announced his special teams coach.
I think Seattle would need to offer better than that. Maybe Defensive Coordinator? It’s noticeable Frazier wasn’t given that title. I’d like that hire. He’s a future Head Coach.
With all the Harbaugh linked coaching options, we’re certainly saying “what’s your deal?” to our key “advisor.”
Will he bring Conor Stalions as advance scout🤭?
No one wants to see what MacDefense could do with Adams, even if MacD signs off on him?? Obviously assuming JA passes physicals, etc. This is the last year of his deal where we are upside down so as long as there’s no injury guarantee clauses beyond this year, why not see if MM could reclaim Jamal Adams (Look at Jadaveon Clowney)?
I mean, he’s gotta look at our defense on paper and wonder how we underachieve this year, no?
No.
No No No.
And no.
So you’re saying theres a chance???
Aaaaaaaaarggghh!
HELL NO!
Fuck NO!
Right? Jamal Adams being on this roster next season is garbage talk. lol
Cut Jamal the instant he passes a physical
And the club him like Tanya Harding.
Err, I mean Nancy Kerrigan.
I, Tanya. What a great movie.
Hell, why not brink back Cody Barton and see if MacDonald can get anything out of him?
Adams is poor on the field and worse off of it. Get him off this team!
Mike made his thoughts on Twitter shit talking, and indirectly Jamal, pretty clear at his press conference. Even if JA is miraculously fully healed physically, he’s still a mess between the ears. I can’t imagine another defensive player as antithetical to what Mike McDonald stands for and the culture he is going to instill.
You never know, maybe Jamal does a 180 and somehow rises like a Phoenix from the ashes (or a Peacock from the embers, if you prefer) but I find it hard to believe he’s on the roster by the time training camp rolls around.
Healthy Jamal – would love to see it. But sadly I don’t think that player exists anymore. Quad tears take away so much from an athlete. Just a brutal injury to come back to form from.
It’s more than injuries
First off…tip of the cap to Rob for the incredible output and content. If I didn’t know better, I would guess that you were some type of machine. This site is truly appreciated by so many!
Secondly, I think I would prefer Grubb over Engstrand. I think it can be assumed that Ben Johnson will once again be a hot HC candidate next season. If hired, it would seem that Engstrand would be Johnson’s top choice to join him as OC. I suppose Seattle could block him from interviewing for a lateral move, but they haven’t typically done that in the past.
All other things equal, having Grubb for multiple seasons (and therefore the continuity) over a potential one and done season from Engstrand would be a better outcome for the Seattle offense.
Thank you!
Engstrand can’t leave for a lateral move. Maybe a title like assistant HC, but not to be just an OC. Seattle can also offer the same title and pay to keep him from leaving.
That is the nice part of the NFL coaches just can’t leave like in college.
Based on you theory of Engstrand leaving after a year, what would stop another team from hiring Grubb after a year of he is successful.
If Engstrand went to work for Ben Johnson, it would be a step back because Johnson would be calling the plays.
I think Grubb brings a different perspective, but Engstrand brings an offense that Schneider was obviously enamored with.
I prefer Engstrand over Grubb. Engstrand has NFL experience and under the coach/offense John was hoping to make his.
Grubb has no NFL experience, has shown he really wants to be a head coach as he pushed for the Huskies gig – which there is nothing wrong with that but it shows you a part of himself and if he came here as OC and lit it up for a year or two then I’d think he’d be the one to jump ship at the first opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL leaving us put out. Add in that he’s already been interviewed for a few NFL OC jobs and no one liked what they saw/heard then yeah I’ll pass on Grubb personally.
Who has interviewed Grubb at an NFL team?
I thought Grubb wanted to live in the Northwest? There is a limited supply of football teams to coach in the northwest. So if he gets a job with the Seahawks I think he will stick around.
Thank god Josina is on the case. Love the Frazier hire!
And to know that her phone still works
I’m usually on that train but this one, it’s a winner and I don’t care if she takes a victory lap.
That’s great info. He picked the Seahawks because of Macdonald.
Maybe she got a new one because it seems to actually be connecting and not stuck on dial tone like the last few years.
I literally LOL’d Peter. Good one
Hopefully this puts to bed once and for all the question of does Pete still have anything to do in the Seahawks organization. No he was fully fired and is relieved of any thing of any importance, thank goodness.
Great get with Frazier and the fact that he already has such a good rapport with McD just works perfectly.
Here is an interesting insight from the Zebra metrics. Out of all the offensive players at the Senior Bowl, Luke McCaffrey was #1 in acceleration at 5.01 and #2 in deceleration at -6.09.
https://connect.zebra.com/SrbowlInsights
McCaffrey was subtly excellent all week
Agreed. I was impressed with what I saw this week. Making plays might run in the blood
This is wild! Very exciting!
You better backpedal like Marcus Trufant to cover that.
By the way, here is my impersonation of every person in Alabama when they see you wearing a Seahawks Draft Blog T-Shirt.
“You guys are underutilizing Jaxon Smith Njigba.”
Time for the new regime to put that right!
Hear hear! That kid is gonna be a star!
Please read them some Vogon poetry.
They would probably like it.
Does Dan ever break news? I don’t know him well.
Even his sources have sources…fascinating
But they are on double secret probation.
Whitney on Seahawks Twitter said MM was on his way to Seattle to become the HC the night before it happened, and said last night that it’s not a done deal but Grubb is the leader to become OC. Seems like some locals who have friends or family at VMAC are getting some leaks.
Whitney (Twitter handle trumplostsuckit) was doubling down on it again today, responding “Same” to the Veins post… we shall see!
Well there are Rooney Rule restrictions for coordinators now according to Florio so it can’t be that imminent
Tee Martin is African-American. So if they have already interviewed him then the Rooney Rule would have been satisfied.
There’s nothing to suggest they have interviewed him
I watched one of his You Tube podcasts and he had us hiring Mike Kafka as head coach. lmfao
Rob is there players out there that you would look at more now? With Pete gone does that open up what they look for in corners and other positions. I’m sure Coach Mac has different preferences on style players at specific positions.
Possibly, will be hard to project though until we’ve seen what they do
Yea I agree I’m curious to see what type of player we will go after and thanks for the response I’ve Ben reading the blog for a while now and finally commented
I’d start by going back to the beginning of the blog and look up everytime Rob says someone “sure seems like a raven,”
And from there we can paint a good picture of what feels like dozens..?…of times that’s what ended up happening.
This was my other impersonation from the Senior Bowl.
Sam Monson: Has Penix ever taken a snap under center?
Me: Want to see my Michael Penix impersonation?
Sam Monson: Sure.
Me: (Bends knees and claps]
Petition to make t-shirts for the new draft season with a silhouette of a qb and then in parentheses reads: bends knees and claps.
Did he like it?
He chuckled.
Your predictions, Rob, are music to my ears. Exactly the way I would do things if I were in charge. Value draft picks. Don’t trade them for veterans — ESPECIALLY 10 GAME RENTALS, GRRRR!!! Seek value in free agency cause those guys are anything but free. Use cap space wisely. Don’t overpay veterans even if you like them. Scheme creatively for the guys in your roster rather than overpaying for favorite guys or hammering round pegs in square holes.
If things really play out as you predict, I’ll be thrilled. Dancing in the streets thrilled. Man, it’s a long time since I’ve said anything like that about this team.
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2024/2/2/24059477/report-mike-macdonald-highest-paid-first-time-coach-nfl-history-seahawks-news
If this is true, Jody opened up the wallet.
John Stanton, take notice
Fat chance
Now that we’re bringing on Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach, does that mean we can’t hire Engstrand because it wouldn’t be considered a promotion? Or can you have more than one assistant head coach?
I’m surprised that he wasn’t snatched up by the Bucs or Pats.
Engstrand would presumably be hired as OC, which is a promotion from his current position in Detroit
Oh, duh, never mind. Lol
Just to make sure it’s a promotion Engstrand could be the ‘Emperor of Offense’.
” Now that we’re bringing on Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach, does that mean we can’t hire Engstrand because it wouldn’t be considered a promotion? Or can you have more than one assistant head coach?”
Hawk: Tanner Engstrand is the passing game coordinator. If the Hawks hire Engstrand he would be the OC. Which is a promotion. Therefore, the Hawks are able to hire Engstrand. If they want to. And if Engstrand would be interested in the Seahawk OC job.
“The Seahawks no longer have to think shorter term after making a coaching change and can plan ahead.”
Thank goodness, finally.
Remember when Baltimore paid Earl Thomas? That was funny.
Leslie Frazier is an awesome human being and good football coach. He’s not head coach material, but he’s a stud in a supportive role. Absolutely love Leslie Frazier!
Yeah- pretty thrilled. He’s a truly great person to have in the building. Not to mention the fact he’s an excellent DC. The Jim Johnson Tree is back are in Seattle for the first time since Jim himself left in 1998.
Curious if who else we’ll bring in on the staff; Karl Scott is a great keep. Any news if BT Jordan is staying around?
If Ron Rivera doesn’t get the Cowboys DC spot, I wonder if he’d return to the west coast to team up with long time friend Leslie Frazier to slow down a little and coach linebackers. Though I imagine with Frazier in the fold, we don’t need as many old hats around.
Hey Rob, long time reader of the blog and absolutely love your work. As a hospice nurse who often works 24/7, I still marvel how you manage to have your personal life and still put out so much amazing content. I find myself looking every morning for your most recent posts. I have to say this is one of my favorite posts. I think it really embodies the changes of draft and free agent signings to come. Just a great article that actually got me more excited about a Seahawks off than I’ve been in years. On a side note, I think the Leslie Frazier hire is brilliant. One question, from what I have read and seen, the Tulane QB is turning some heads at the Senior Bowl. Can’t think of his name, but might be a later round steal. What are your thoughts? Heard he had the 2nd best velocity on his throws among the QB’s at mobile. Lastly, your wife must be a saint, as she has to share you with all of us, just like mine has to share me with all my terminal patients. Keep it up man. Wish John would hire you to the scouting department. We would be in a lot better shape than we are today. Very interesting that over the years, many players you really liked ended up as Ravens. I remember during many drafts, yelling at my TV “fucking Ravens”, when they took players I liked after you identified them.
Michael Pratt
Not to speak for Rob, but it feels like he’s one of those “sleep is overrated” kind of people. Definitely to our benefit.
The quarterbacks always look kind of bad at these things because it’s only three practices. I was listening to Adam Caplan go on about this with someone. He rattled off a long list of guys that he was wrong about and then finished it with, “But I was right about Russell Wilson!”
That said, Pratt looked the most comfortable on the first day and he threw the ball with better velocity than expected. On the last day, Pratt threw the ball with an initial quickness of 76 mph, which was the best that day. The receivers did a fine job adjusting on day two, especially Roman Wilson. And there were surprisingly fewer drops that day, even from a lefty.
Pratt also benefited from being the first person invited and the first to accept. Penix was one of the last for obvious reasons. Also, he probably killed it in the interviews.
Just had one my customers, a die hard 9er fan (montana on one shoulder, rice on the other), bend my ear about how pissed he is at the Seahawks moves…
The Frazier news breaking was the last straw for him. He envisions the northern rival establishing a coaching dream team that churns out young coaching proteges while infusing itself with old and new knowledge.
I was bemused, your team is in the Super Bowl and you are going to be in Vegas, you’re worried about what we are doing?
He is a Cal grad with a lot of family who went to San Jose St and Fresno St. He is pretty sure Jeff Tedford walks on water.
Grubb, per him, would be a masterstroke.
“Dude, this is Schneider unshackeled, I don’t even want to know what happens with free agency and the draft. My fear is this will be worse than the LOB”.
Haven’t had a conversation like that in years.
Goddamn, this post got me fired up! God bless your cynical Bay Area bro. After dragging my ass to every home game this year and even in the wins shaking my head at the sight of other fans taking over our stadium and often piss poor play on the field, I truly felt I was living in the dying gasp of the once great but now completely over Carroll era.
That man gave me the greatest highs of my Seahawks fandom life and I will forever love him and respect him for that. But change had to come. Change we are getting. If it’s half the change your homeboy fears, we are in good shape Hawks fans.
This perfectly sums up how I feel – endless respect for Carroll as a coach and a man. But change was absolutely needed and I am more fired up than I have been in years. Very impressed with the process so far.
I wonder if Pete is hoping that Schneider succeeds… or fails?
I knew that there had to be graybeard coming on board to help balance the scales and give some grizzled experience to our promising but young and inexperienced head coach. I’m glad it’s Leslie Frazier. I have always respected his game and just because you didn’t grab the brass ring when you were at the top of the org chart, doesn’t mean that everything you flexed to get there in the first place doesn’t matter. Happy for him and I hear several teams were after after him.
Welcome aboard, Whisperer!
So was just thinking, if Pete told Jodie he was planning on retiring some point in the middle of the season, was this before or after the LW trade?
Likely after. That defeat in Baltimore would make any coach consider retirement.
The rumors around Grubb being the next OC seem to be heating up.
Everything being so fresh and exciting has lit a fire back up in my Seahawks fandom. Even if this regime crashes and burns, which I don’t think it will, the unknown brings a fun level of intrigue.
Where’s the like button. I REALLY want to like this comment.
Just watched the Mike Macdonald intro press conference and I’m pum…Juiced!
Love to hear about tailoring the defense to the players, being adaptable, flexible etc. Putting the players in a position to succeed through scheme & coaching. Being able to change within the game, within the drive. Dude is authentic and 100% committed. Excited to see who they keep from our current roster & what he can get out of them.
As a coach, I love to him say that
“as coaches, we try to put our players in a position where they have an advantage!”
I love it!
Now let’s find someone who thinks the same way on the offensive side of the ball and Attack both sides of the ball!
Go Hawks!
Can we hire Grubb as OC and Engstrom as Superduper passing Coordinator?
Engstrand….🥸
Yes please! We’ll take them both. Please wrap them for groundhogs day.
So, JS will do the drafting, and Macdonald will “tailor to the players at disposal”!?
That would be Staley 2.0, who also came to the Chargers with best defense pedigree, and who was praised for getting the best out of his players. And who also was selected in a process, that was expected to return an offensive minded HC.
Bolts fans were on the fence, especially after some pointy pressers. What a bright mind our Brandon is, clap, clap, clap. End of Andy Reid era is near. With Staley and Herbert, we are set.
A year in, Reid adapted, and the Chargers never saw the sun again, churning through a set of varied coordinators, loosing Shane Steichen – the ideal solution – in 2021.
As the point was made often in the comments… is the NFC West afraid of Macdonald? McVay hung 31 points / 422 yds on his D, with Gannon and Joshua Dobbs (!) following suit with 24 points / 338 yds. Please, tell me that the planning assumptions going forward are not Purdy having a rotten day at work, while still pulling 457 yds of offense. In neither game the Ravens were able to suppress the run game.
So, while I cherish and welcome the new beginning, I’m staying off the hype train. Macdonald has everything to prove, and so does JS. Results are delivered by actions, not by rose painted words. We had too many of those, especially from our GM, who took too long to face reality.
Tailoring will only get us so far, they absolutely have to close the talent gap, and this will only happen, if they draft significantly better than both their rivals, and if they start allocating their resources where it matters. The next two weeks will hopefully be telling. If they are true to their words, not much of this roster will survive.
Have a day off McZ, it’s all good so far
Frankly I’m essentially excited about the defensive whiz aspect than I am by coach Mike’s bearing.
The Leslie Frazier move is something Pete would have never done. Get a serious vet or in the case of Macdonald get a bright mind.
Tailoring to the players….I’m not that worried by that. I take that more as in who and what is Seattle now. I’m sure he has preferences. But what is Seattle? Mismatched sized CB’s? Bryant who might be the SS next year. Currently no LB’s?
I just took it as words you say before you get down to work.
I think we all have been guilty on the blog of this next point. Football is rarely if coach x beats coach y….then they are definitely better. Mcvay v Pete. Shannahan v Pete. Long rivalries sure. But single games where teams don’t meet again for up to four years?
*less excited*
You must be fun at parties.
Pretty sure JS was ready to move on years ago, and it was Jody who needed convincing. JS didn’t have the power to fire Carrol.
Time will tell, but so far Seattle doing well by hiring McD and Frazier, and bringing back Karl Scott to coach the secondary. He’s young and upcoming, and free from Carrol I expect him to be more aggressive.
Now they have to find a DC and an OC. Those are key. But so far, so good. What else you want?
It sucked not getting Johnson, but we may all live to breathe a sigh of relief over that, who can say?
I would say one of the things MacDonald has a hard time with are teams that are effective playing under center a lot. The Rams were one of the best teams when snapping under center. Explains why they gave MacDonald so much trouble. It’s something to keep in mind and sort of makes sense why the Ravens were great against the 49ers and didn’t stop the Rams much.
Plus the run gives Mac fits as well. Plenty to talk about and plenty for Mac to try to figure out still. The game never stops evolving.
While I understand your reservations, I have a few myself, you’re going off a sample size of one and applying it to all future scenarios. Or rather, just one more, that’s personal to you. That’s a bit thin. Anorexic even.
Just catching up.
Leslie Fraszier?! What a solid move.
If thinks went down the pishadoo at the organisation tomorrow, I’d still be basking in the absolute joy and happiness of the last few days.
Engstrand was on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at University of San Diego and Michigan. Presumably, MM has plenty of intel on him. Chargers sites were clamoring for him to be their new OC, but Harbaugh looks to be going with Greg Roman.
One more random bit about the Senior Bowl now that I got a full night’s sleep.
After day three when I was talking with Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, the pretty blonde girl walks by who is here every year (obviously a blogger) and he says, “Hey, are you going to Meat Boss later?”
She says, “Nah! I’m tired.” I don’t think she was blowing him off. We were all tired.
So I looked up Meat Boss in College Hill. It’s close by and looks amazing.
https://www.meatboss.com/
Looks tasty for sure!
Some places call that white BBQ sauce “Alabama” sauce.
Schneider is going to enjoy his time making decisions. If there is a QB in the draft he loves, he’ll take him. Penix or Rattler both seem like guys he would be interested in. John will want to trade down from 16 and pick up a 2nd rounder if he can, if lower in round 1 or early 2, I’d say he takes Penix. But if not, Rattler is the next level guy with a Brett F sling to him.
This is where I’m at.
That’s because Pete would not concede anything to anyone.
https://x.com/profootballtalk/status/1753801589431615566?s=46&t=QnF6gJmc6OM1fOYBLmUnjg
Don’t know who is advising Penix…disappointing.
Plenty of WRs dropped out too. Even if he wanted to play, intended to play, it’s not terribly smart to play with backups you barely practiced with. I didn’t check to see how many O linemen dropped out, but apparently the North is down to 2 or 3 WRs.
How is playing going to help his stock?
Spare me the “Oh he’s not a competitor” hogwash. That’s an argument used by armchair scouts when players do the smart thing.
If the Senior Bowl wants to continue, they are going to have to buy huge Insurance Policies for the kids. Otherwise, it’s just not in their best interests to attend.
If the NFL wants the Senior Bowl, and they want athletes to do every drill in the combine, they can offer Insurance and pay attendees. God knows they can afford it, with all the gambling money…
The actual game has always been swirling with politics and it’s really just for the locals.
My oh my, I was just disappointed.
I also think it doesn’t help the narrative that he was a product of the parts and system.
Also think that a player should want to show off unless they are a clear 1.
But I’m also not a player agent.
I’m on record that Penix = left handed Hendon Hooker, that is about where he will be drafted, he could skip the whole predraft process and that would probably stay the same.
Edgerrin Cooper certainly has hurt his stock with the Shrine Bowl fiasco.
Helped Rattler’s
So, taking a quick look at the horizontal board before the game, these are the players that I think are moving up on it.
Sione Vaki. Yeah, this is a bad safety class, but, speed!
Max Melton, Yeah, he didn’t look that great in coverage, but, speed!
Joe Milton III. He doesn’t have a howitzer for an arm. It’s a German Flak-88mm. And, speed.
Braden Fiske. Stout against the run. A little short-armed. This year’s Calijah Kancey?
Carlton Johnson. Small, fast, sticky corner that will need to gain some weight. Kalen King takes a big fall here. He was fast but sloppy.
Justin Eboigbe. Can play the edge or DT. Probably going in the 2nd round now.
Jamari Thrash. He was embarrassing defenders on day 2.
Johnny Wilson. Very tall receiver with 31″ arms, but very broad shoulders to give him a good catch radius. Kind of built like Michael Phelps. Shows great speed for a lanky guy. Definitely an X-receiver. Think Joe Jurevicious.
Luke McCaffrey. He can start and stop on a dime. This trait in a former Seahawk frustrated Lester Hayes so much that he covered his whole body in Stickem.
Quinyon Mitchell. PFF is talking him up as a first-rounder.
Cam Hart. Great size for a CB and locked down Jerry Rice’s kid.
Jackson Powers-Johnson. MY KINGDOM FOR A CENTER !!!
Taliese Fuaga. Do I even have to explain this one?
For me the two players I want the Seahawks to strongly consider in the first round are:
– Quinyon Mitchell
– Jackson Powers-Johnson
Jamari Thrash is something else. I’ve seen his 40 times as all over the place but he’s been measured well over 20 mph with pads on. He actually does remind me of Tyler Lockett with YAC ability.
I forgot to add Codey Shroeder the RB out of Mizzu. A lot quicker getting to the perimeter than I thought.
And Darius Robinson.
I’ve come around on QBs. I want Penix or Rattler. I’d be happy if they drafted both. I also want to ride with Lock, and dump Diggs and Adams and Dissly, and use the money to sign Madubuike or somebody else young and tough for the Dline.
I think between Love, Bryant, and our three second year Safeties (Jerrick Reed, Ty Okada, Jonathan Sutherland) we will find our two starting safeties and backups. I’m really excited to see them get their chance to shine.
Also hoping preseason standout EDGE Levi Bell gets a shot.
Going to be interesting to see how the Dline and Linebacker corps gets remade.
Still worried about the OC and how they intend to improve the Oline, and deal with Lucas injury uncertainty.
I bet a lot of the young guys who Pete didn’t want to play, will get every opportunity to show what they can do now.
JS was probably frustrated at the lack of opportunity for some of those guys.
I think its Clear that this new Era is about examination not friends zone . Tey are choosing coaches and players that fit thier vision . we saw the beggining of this last year when they took Spoon over Carter. Even with Carter being a good player and a need (as I advocated for) credit to Rob was correct at identifying that he did not fit the new era culture led by John.now we have that is full bloom so predicting is alot easier .
Recall there was a loud late push for Carter, per reports
We never heard who that was
Interesting article in The Athletic today about how NFL teams use the Zebra tracking data at Senior Bowl to identify the standout players. It’s behind a paywall, but every player’s movement is tracked using sensors in their shoulder pads, teams don’t use the 40y times as much as change of direction time, acceleration in first 5 yards, separation times,….all the data is shared with all the NFL teams but some teams are more adept than others at using it. The Rams were identified as particularly adept and used the data to identify Kupp, Nacua, and Jefferson as draft targets. Worth a read. https://theathletic.com/5236255/2024/02/03/nfl-player-tracking-system-speed-prospects/
Penix pulling out just screams that he’s hiding something. Haven’t heard anything about am injury all week. Is he panicking about not playing in Grubb’s offense for the first time in his career?
Not saying he’s not a competitor or anything like that. The only people I see talking about this positively for him are UW fans that think he should go first over Caleb Williams.
He’s hiding what it would look like with wr’s and an offensive line that aren’t the best in college.
It makes sense. For me, he’s the one that needed to show what he could do on his own out of the quarterbacks.
It’s an all-star team.
The scouts aren’t there.
They went home.
Who will he play better with? His all-star wr’s and line at Washington that he has offseason and practices with? Or the all-stars that he was around for a week and were thrown together?
For me, a knock on him is him playing with phenomenal weapons around him. I wanted to see him in a different situation and it was a chance for him to show what he could do.
Try to think of it like the last Pre-Season game.
Still a fairly big knock on him that he could have done something about.
It’s his future that he’s trying to sell.
To be fair, there was a serious injury this week.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/marshall-rb-rasheen-ali-out-of-senior-bowl-with-ruptured-biceps-tendon/ar-BB1hCBxz
Nice touch by Rattler
Nice opening drive for Rattler.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/1753813338201465173?s=19
Ben Allbright is very connected throughout the league and especially in Denver. Projects Penix as late day 2 and Nix going day 2 before him. McCarthy projected as a late 1
Most discussion I’ve heard around here revolves around trading up somehow for one of the top 3 or taking Bo Nix.
Well, he’s been a bit hit and miss with reports
And this seems to be his opinion rather than a report — his QB evals have also been hit and miss
But what he says here is plausible, even though I don’t personally grade them this way
Oh
Better job offer elsewhere ?
Mike Garafolo just tweeted not to rule out the Commanders.
I wouldn’t mind keeping Kingsbury in the NFC. He’s truly awful.
No one’s talking about Macdonald’s defensive preference, but does he toss out Hurtt’s 3-4 experiment and have us revert to the 4-3? I don’t know what the Ravens base D was playing. If we go back to a 4-3, how does that affect who we keep, drop, and pick up in FA?
Based on what I read from a Ravens fan site, MM ran a 3-4 scheme which was actually similar to Seahawks scheme last year. The big difference was that the Ravens disguised their coverage pre-snap much more than the Seahawks. Also, they dropped their DL into coverage and pass rush with LBs/safeties more than the Seahawks did. The Ravens also execute/tackle better than the Seahawks D.
MM did say that he will build a scheme better suited to Seahawks personnel. So his scheme next year may not be the same as the Ravens last year.
Jaylin Simpson impressed me on day one, then I kind of lost track of him. Great tackle there at the goal line.
Same with Spanns-Ford there with the TD.
Luke McCaffrey looks like a gamer
Joe Milton throwing across his body on the move over the middle. Interception.
Brock Purdy special.
No, if he was Purdy it’d fall off the DB’s hands and into his receivers for a 50 yard gain.
Jim Nagy sighting!
One difference this year from last. Last year Jim Nagy was everywhere. This year he was invisible.
Interesting.
And no pre-senior bowl interview with Rob, either.
Any theories?
Rob Saud maybe afterwards since this was such a big year for tem.
This. It has been crazy. They upped the security.
If you go to the 14:44 point of this video you will see a nice moment with Kingsley Saumataia’s family that I caught. Apparently, his cousin was in the game too, but I forgot his name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAjCebd0oWg
Kingsley had a good week.
That is Pratt’s third fumble on the center snap exchange in two days.
Marcus Harris has had a nice game
I just saw that as well. I’m definitely not as intrigued by that option.
The thing I like about Grubb is he has OL experience/responsibilities at prior stops so I think it’s something he’d put emphasis on. Plus that offense runs the ball too…..it’s not just vertical passing.
Exactly. Very intrigued by his oline acumen.
I’d love to see Kafka. I wondered if he wasn’t a dark horse for hc. His situation in NY was futile this year but I think he’s going to repair/solidify his rep somewhere.
[Smith]If I had to make a prediction based on what I’ve heard last 24 hours, I still think Ryan Grubb is going to be Seahawks offensive coordinator. But if they can find a way to get Mike Kafka – which could be tricky due to lateral move from Giants – then it’s still possibility.
https://twitter.com/CorbinSmithNFL/status/1753870035783668093
Miami LB James Williams 👀
He’s a scary dude. He has tons of upside as a LB but very limited as a safety.
He coug’d it there at the end.
Spencer Rattler mentioned EXOS while accepting the Player of the Game award. I guess he’s heading out this way.
So because Bobby lead the league in tackles and plays MLB, is he a lock to come back next year?
Definitely not.
I’d be very surprised if he returned.
Yeah. Not sure guy that tackles is enough for Macdonald.
Spencer Rattler has obviously improved his draft position, I wonder if the Seahawks will have to use their first-round pick to get him, just to be sure they get their guy? Considering their other QB options, I would hope so.
I’ve seen Penix’s age used as an argument to not draft him, does this also apply to Rattler? Rattler is 4 months younger.
I’m not very interested in age in regards to every position on the field. With qbs particularly I don’t think it’s a very compelling argument in regards to Penix. I’m not very high on him but if you draft a qb and you get a decade out of them that’s a win. Who cares if they are 24 or 21. Very few qbs in the game play that long and more importantly…well at that age.
Just draft Rattler at 16…
If he’s still there. Plenty of QB needy times between picks 8 and 13.
5 QBs taken that early would be a first iinm. It could happen though…
Pay the iron price to move to 10 🤪
I did some research on this last year. Quarterbacks went 1-2-3 exactly once. It is unlikely that more than three quarterbacks will go top 10 in any year. Last year was an aberration.
Didn’t have to look back far lol
2021
1. Jags: T. Lawrence
2. Jets: Z. Wilson
3. 49ers: T. Lance
11. Bears: J. Fields
15. Patriots: M. Jones
Yeah, the draft is a crapshoot
Actually, what I meant to say was that it happened exactly once before that in 1999, with Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, and Akiki Smith.
Damn…both of those times don’t really evoke much confidence.
Penix pulling out of Senior Bowl. Don’t know why.
A lot of players did, for the game
Joe Milton and Braden Fiske switched teams.
I hear the same names(Spoon, Brooks, Love, Mafe) as those that stand to benefit from this system, but haven’t heard Dre’mont Jones’ name thrown around. As I read up on MM’s scheme and hear others advocate for Madubiuke($$$$$$!) in FA, I think that he might stand to benefit from the flexibility he offers at DT. He was used all across the line, even 5-tech/end once Nwosu went down. We’ll see what happens with him(can he drop into coverage in this scheme?) and pending FA Williams, but Jones strikes me as an interesting possible chess piece in MM’s arsenal.