Michael Bennett was the best player on the field and it wasn’t even close. He lived in the backfield from start to finish. He had success working inside and the edge. His sack ended a promising two minute drill for Kansas City to end the half.
When Bennett plays this way he’s virtually unstoppable and genuinely one of the elite defensive players in the league.
The front seven overall looked very impressive. Brandon Mebane had a big sack and looked very stout playing next to Ahtyba Rubin. Frank Clark wasn’t supposed to feature as he nurses an ankle injury but still made a tipped pass in the first quarter.
K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner were right behind Bennett in terms of impact. Wright had two big TFL’s and always seemed to be involved. Wagner’s pick six showed great awareness — although Alex Smith again showed his maddening limitations. He doesn’t improvise and is tied to the call. He occasionally scrambles but that’s about it. On the pick he tried to fool Wagner with a very basic look-off to the left.
Dion Bailey made some big hits and looked like he was enjoying himself — while DeShawn Shead showed off his versatility as a corner/safety hybrid.
The offense stuttered for a while before finding some rhythm late in the half. All eyes were on the pass protection which was generally good. Gary Gilliam looks raw but was mostly effective. Justin Houston brushed him off with a speed move forcing Russell Wilson to quickly dump the ball off towards Christine Michael. It was the only significant whiff by Gilliam in pass-pro. He showed a nice base and good footwork. He has natural leverage.
Justin Britt started with a big impact block driving his guy five yards off the LOS. He just looks a lot more comfortable at left guard. Overall this half signified a major improvement on seven days ago against another good pass-rushing defense. Strangely enough it was the run-blocking that suffered somewhat especially when Robert Turbin was on the field. Christine Michael made more of his snaps, including this block to knock Dee Ford out of the game:
Jimmy Graham is the missing link this offense has been crying out for. A box-out big target with plus athleticism. Look at this mismatch running the seam against safety Ron Parker. All he has to do is hold position and work the back-shoulder throw. It’s perfect and a cheap reception. The Seahawks needed this badly.
Missed tackles were a minor issue. Pete Carroll complimented the tackling last week against Denver. There were several whiffs in the first half tonight.
I’ll add second half thoughts on Saturday, it’s 2:31am here.
That KJ spy on the Jamal Charles screen was petty bad ass. Need more of this since this was lost last year, seemed like delays and screens by HB’s killed us. Overall, I like where our defense is going, KRichard will hopefully make a name for himself.
I agree Rob Bennett was a beast and our front 7 looks like it could be our best yet.
Couple of thoughts from game #2
-Gilliam looked very good for his first start at RT. I think he will be a huge upgrade in pass protection.
-Britt looked much better at LG. But if they can find a way to sign Mathis our line goes from a liability to an average to above average OL. Okung and Mathis on the Left side and Sweezy and Gilliam on the Right side. Then take your take your pick between Nowak and Lem.
-It is clear Marshawn really is a Beast because when he doesn’t play our rushing offense is just not even close to being the same.
-Bailey is a legit NFL SS and makes me less concerned about Kam being MIA.
-UDFA safety Martin and DT McGill look like Seahawks and I hope they make the squad.
-With us being so close to the cap why are we paying Chop Chop $2+ mil. He is our 4th best WR at best and wouldn’t be better off using some of that cap space on an OL like Mathis? (By the way I am sure that douche Rosenhaus is just using us to drive up the market for Mathis)
-I thought we had one of our deepest rosters but when I think about it in 2013 our 2nd and 3rd stringers were crushing teams in pre season. Not anymore.
-Finally props to Jessie the Monstar Williams. Just months after having his kidney removed and getting cancer treatment he his back on the field and I thought he was a force inside tonight all be it against 2nd and 3rd stingers. Good for him and truly inspirational. I hope he can at least stay on our PS.
I want to see one more game with the same starting line. Give them another week of working together. Given the draft investment, we really need Britt to pan out somewhere on the line. I’d hate to write him off by signing Mathis without taking another look at him. As Rob pointed out, he wasn’t terrible out there.
I agree about most of this but one caveat per some of our 2nd and third stringers crushing everyone….at least in the secondary and at RB our 2nd and third stringers are playing teams 1st and 2nd stringers so I’m not to worried about them looking shaky. I’m less concerned about pre season then most but no ET3, Sherm, Kam….no worries. No Lynch…and the games are not quite dominating? I know it’s the homer in me but teams should be concerned the other way around if they can’t destroy our back ups with their starters.
Yeah pre-season isn’t a huge concern for me either. Of course you’d like to see your team get the win, but it’s much more about situations and the young guys trying to make a name for themselves. Some of these teams put too much on tape for exhibition games IMO. We’re still missing 6-7 DBs, 2 WRs that will factor into things in some shape or form, and a competent backup QB that can manage a game.
agreed about a competent back up. I have no idea where they can look for one but they are going to need to start looking, IMO.
Who the hell is “chop chop”. Doug Baldwin?
Jermaine Kearse
From his nick name derived from the moniker ‘the other white meat’, whatever that means.
I don’t understand what they are doing with Daniels. It is evident Lockett will be the return man. We have plenty of recievers but are short on Qbs. why they brought the new kid in instead of letting Daniels take some reps at Qb is baffling, unless they are going to dump Daniels.
I thought Michael showed well today. He picked up some yards and downs I don’t think Turbin would have. More impressively were the blocks. There was another play where he picked up a blitzing linebacker and flat out stonewalled the dude allowing for a first down completion.
Michael has shown real improvement. Take away the fumble last week and he’d probably be the front runner to take over the #2 job. Even with the fumble, he might be the guy.
Turbin isn’t a long term solution at RB post -lynch. Michael, if he continues on this path very well might be. Given that, I wouldn’t be shocked in the least to see him get the nod.
Agree completely on Turbin. I was hoping the hip surgery would result in some improvement but he has shown nothing. Michael while frustrating shows flashes at least.
It is clear that RB will be a major need for us in the 2016 draft. Even if Beast plays another year after this one we really need to find his replacement in this draft given how important a position it is for a Pete Carrol team.
Indeed. Turbin is what he is. A serviceable back-up RB. He’s not a feature guy. The FO is always thinking ahead so if they think Michael has any shot of being the featured back in the next year or two, I really think they need to promote him to #2 this season.
If Turbin isn’t the guy, and they don’t give Michael enough carries/responsibility to see if he’s the guy, then we go into next off-season with a massive question mark at RB. Turbin will be a FA, You would still not know what Michael can do with an increased workload and you’re probably faced with a round 1 or 2 RB. I have a hard time imagining the team finding a guy they’d trust as a rookie to be the featured back.
Michael seems like a player who isn’t going to improve much without more game experience. I hope he gets worked into the offense more in game, and the snaps come at Turbo’s expense.
Totally agree with this.
What occurred to me last night is giving Michael credit for remaining on the team for so long, albeit at the 3rd RB.
PC doesn’t keep anyone around he doesn’t see potential in, and several players took a while to develop. Tate, for instance, perhaps the best comp. He finally put it together his third year. Maxwell may serve as another example.
Simply making the team every year means something. Maybe this is the year for Michael.
Micheal is a big time athlete who can run the hell out of the ball. That wicked block on Ford was particularly impressive, as blocking has been a knock on him. He clearly ran the wrong play leaving Archer to improvise-which he did getting about 3 yards. Ive been in Micheal’s corner from the start, but that’s coming to an end. Fumbling and running wrong plays is rookie stuff, and with this being CM’s 3rd year, are inexcusable.
You nailed it. If CMike were a rookie I’d be excited, but he’s not. Stupid mistakes and ball security issues are crippling liabilities in a third year player. Dude is not progressing. CMike is on the bubble in my mind.
Just from the 1st half…I’m a little concerned that Russell Wilson is only effective in a zone read offense? He looks unnatural in the pocket and seems to progress to his 2nd and 3rd option too quickly. I don’t know…he just seems a bit off kilter. Has a bevell offense ever been good? I’m starting to wonder about his scheme. Dfense looks good…I expect them to be dominant, yet the offense looked anemic as usual.
honestly I don’t want to start a fire Bevell thread but let’s be real…to me his best season was when the old Gun Slinger was lighting it up in the twin cities with a young healthy Sidney rice, AP, visanthe shiancoe, and percy harvin….honestly I think Bevell is next level mediocre like a kubiak or jay gruden and I would love it if Pete Carrol got anyone else to be the OC.
I’ve always questioned the pass routes. Need to steel plays from Denver and New England.
I couldn’t disagree more
Just because I think a guy is mediocre doesn’t mean he hasn’t done some good things. In Wilson’s first season drawing up their play action and zone read concepts were great. That said I’m not looking forward to yet another season of Wilson getting punched in the mouth against the Rams because that same OC can not come up with a different way to game plan an offense.
Or I understand the Hawks identity “winning the red line,” as it were but sometimes you need to use the other parts of the field…like the middle, or a short rhythm passing attack to slow down the defensive pressure.
They did use a short rhytm passing attack last night. There were just drops and inconsistency.
Wilson has alway moved away from reads too see and a lot of it has to do with his high. I’m not bashing the guy but it does factor in.
On other topics, I hate to say it, but there is zero reason at this point for the Hawks to do anything for Kam other than maybe wave his fines and offer him the smallest of token changes to his deal. If Kam is serious about digging in his heels until he gets a new deal, I think he may have played his last game as a Hawk.
He needed the secondary to fall flat on its face. It hasn’t.
With the pass rush looking to be at an all-time high and Earl and Sherman coming back, the defense is going to be seriously good.
If we get to be a week out from the season opener and kam still hasn’t shown up, doesn’t the FO have to start calling around to see if there’s a trade to be made? I’m sure someone like Jacksonville would give Kam what he wants and Seattle could get a first or second round pick for him.
I honestly have to agree.
I agree completely but am not sure a trade in season is the way to go. I say let him sit out the year as trading him mid season would free up vey little cap space. Then we get his cap # from this year to roll into next. Then definitely trade him before the draft for whatever we get.
So disappointing that it has come to this. Loved Kam and the way he plays. It is almost like falling in love with a girl and then you find out she is nothing but a fake gold digger.
yah, i’m not sure about the cap ramification of trading him during the season so you could be right.
I keep trying to convince myself that this is all his agent’s doing but I honestly don’t think that’s the case.
Kam’s like a mid-life crisis guy who’s married to a hot chick, but decides to sign up for Ashley Madison only to have his name leaked by hackers so his wife leaves him for a younger guy and takes half his money when she finds out. Now he sits home alone, embarrassed and with a lot less money while his ex-wife is out having a great time.
too funny
Checked out Kam’s twitter, he tweeted last night about the Bills Browns game but he is being completely silent about tonight’s game. Really fed up with this. If he doesn’t like his contract he should just retire.
nice.
Jokes aside it’s amazing Kam has not realized that the LOB was born out of circumstance like WT3 getting hurt and Sherman playing in his spot or…I dunno….Kam sitting behind lawyer milloy for a season to learn from one of the best. I have no stake in Bailey but honestly it would be extremely unsurprising if Bailey playing around the head honchos of LOB, inc. (earl, Richard,) in a few weeks was nearly as good as Kam is. It’s a pretty chancy gamble to bet the team needs you more then you need them when the best secondary coaches in the league are your DC and your HC.
Kam needs the secondary to fall flat when game plans are being implemented and weaker links targeted. We wont know until a real game is played.
This is Kam’s choice – and while I appreciate Kam, I have no problem with the FO’s stance. The team will be fine even if Kam doesn’t play. Will they be as good, maybe not – but the D will be fine.
I remember when PC first came to the Seahawks and the motto “I’m In” became the mantra for the guys who were dedicated to the team and to the new front office.
Kam’s new mantra must be “I’m Out”.
* * * * *
Keeping Kam for the season even if he is not playing may help us with the cap, but IMHO that ignores the positive effects we might reap by trading him now. I say give him until kickoff of the regular season, then move him to the highest, non-NFC bidder if he has not joined the team by then.
Can someone please tell me why we are keeping Kearse on the roster for $2+ mil?
he’s a good dancer?
They still may not keep him.
PC likes his big play making ability.
Completely agree. Sorry but he needs to get cut. Lockett would benefit much more from the extra time as will Richardson whenever he is able to return.
The reason he’s there is no one has beat him out yet.
Really? Who has played better?
A better question would be who hasn’t? He has 0 catches, has run terrible routes and got little to no seperation in two games. Granted pre season and small sample size but exactly like last year. Baldwin, Matthewss, Lockett should be our starting WR IMO.
I know Kearse is a hometown player and there is a lot of love out there for his ridiculous grabs but his game on a whole may not be quite worth his salary. Lockett could most definitely use the extra snaps, prich if he’s healthy, and honestly I’m not sure that another hometown product in K. Williams couldn’t replace Kearse if given more snaps. I love he circus catches and the attitude but he’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest, he’s not the most athletic, he’s not a technician…even if they don’t cut him maybe play the others more during the preseason because they already know what they have in Kearse good or bad.
Williams is a core special teams standout, as well.
I keep wondering that as well, but word out of camp is that he is doing really well (for whatever that’s worth). If it doesn’t show up in games, and if knowledgeable fans are questioning it based on watching him play, I have to keep wondering.
It seems like there is so much promising talent with great upside on the roster (Lockett, Richardson, maybe Williams, Smith, Norwood, Daniels even) that it seems a waste of roster and cap space.
If another receiver steps up, he may not be there, but until that happens… They may decide to change his deal though.
Great 1st half analysis Rob.
This LB core is deep! KPL really impressed me tonight as did Shead at CB. Lockett looked good at receiver this week which is a good sign. Bailey is a thumper man! KJ looked ecspecially fast and diagnoses/breaks things down so quickly. Thought the O-line looked much better. Gillam showed out, and your right, Britt looks much more natural inside. C-mike looked pretty good, very dissappointed in Turbin. He’s just…meh.
They did miss quite a few tackles and the QB-WR timing is off a bit, but both are easily correctable.
I thought Curt Menefee and Brock nailed it. This team keeps their cards close to the vest, play so vanilla on defense, are missing how many DBs, and yet it makes you wonder just how special this team will be when they do get creative and open things up.
I feel like they did this last year. It was as if they used the preseason games to work on one player or one scheme not caring about the actual game. I’m a KJ wright guy so for me he’s one of the unheralded members of Seattle’s defense but dude to me is a fantastic player that solidly gets sh*t done.
Me too man. Love me some KJ! I can’t for the life of me undertand why some don’t see him as a core piece to this defense. I think he is THE most underrated playet on this D.
indeed! he has got to be the most under rated player on the D.
KJ is a great player but I think his prowess in coverage is a bit overstated at times. He looks very awkward and at times frantic while trying to keep up with someone. I think he is one of the most fundamentally sound and disciplined players I have seen. Never seems to get fooled by trick plays or screens or anything of that nature which is why he is still here.
Wasn’t KJ one of the first significant re-signings? That should have opened our eyes to how PC/JS view his value. It did mine.
Exactly.
KJ’s extension was after Kam, Earl and Sherm. His extension was at the same time as Avril’s
Players that really showed to me at first look today are
Cmike
Bailey
Shead
Lockett, again
Kpl
And are new right tackle. He did good against all pro competition.
My other note that I have to say is, I really want to see more rod smith. He looks so smothered and powerful and seems to always do something with his touches. I really want to see him get more carries.
And archer looked so much more comfortable tonight.
Smooth*
The move to Gilliam may end up being one of the best this off season. Britt looks like he can maul at the LG and Gilliam looks like he can be ready much sooner then Britt was ever going to be. I’m still pretty concerned about the Center situation. I know I was anti-center during the draft and still feel like it wasn’t a draft priority but then I didn’t think Drew Nowak was going to be the center. I thought LJP or Lewis at minimum was going to be the center.
Every time I see ‘Bailey’ in a comment I think it’s Alvin, but the context doesn’t hold up. We are talking Dion, right?
Trouble was he couldn.t move the team 40 yards late in the game to get a field goal when he had to.
Listened to the game on the radio. Oline seemed to miss a lot of assignments. I hope that gets fixed. KPL seemed to be all over the place. I know KJ played well too, but if KPL can continue to play as well as he did at WLB, why pay 8+ million to KJ after this year. Bailey and Shead seem to be playing pretty well at S, so Kam better check himself before he wrecks himself. Our dline seems like it will be deep.
Watching the preseason games I think their running very basic schemes leaving the line men on an island so they can see their weaknesses and work on them.
I am wondering if KPL is more of a replacement for Irvin. No way I can see us keeping Irvin after this year. With Wright locked up that is the only spot I could see opening. I just wonder KPL will play Will or Sam with KJ on the field.
KPL is a WILL and KJ would move back to his natural SAM position. KJ was moved to WILL in a creative move to get Irvin on the field as a 3 down player.
KPL possess enough speed and athleticism for that SAM role though.
KPL doesn’t have the bulk to play the strong side. He is better as a chase guy.
Can anyone e answer this. If kam holds out for the year do the hawks gain his salary cap space back?
I don’t know the answer to that entirely. John Clayton would probably know. You should send it to his mailbag!
I do know however that as long as Kam doesn’t report, his cap number is off the books. So pre-Kam holdout our cap was about $5m. Post-Kam holdout Seahawks are looking at about $9.5m in cap room. But that cap will shrink back down as soon as Kam reports.
You actually just answered my question, thanks! I know Brady suspension would count against the cap and I figured it would be the same for a holdout.
Perhaps I’m in the minority here, but I thought C Mike looked average at best. Missed blocking assignments, botched play to the left when he went right and almost got Archer killed and a drop in the passing game. I think he also had a penalty and also laid the ball on the carpet after he hit the turf. He threw some nice blocks and generally looked explosive into the hole, but rarely got anywhere after contact in the hole. I know I know, the Chiefs are a very good rush defense……
Rawls was not as great tonight, but was servicable. The 5th guy in the RB camp looked pretty good…. Mr Rod Smith. He looked good in space and was unusually quick for a man his height. Showed nice hands catching the football and made things happen in traffic. I realize it was against the 3-5th string Chiefs, but he made a few very nice plays and showed explosion once he got behind the LOS. I just like that he is so different from what they have at RB currently (top 3 guys on depth chart).
Michael may never be good at all the little things. But I think what the Seahawks coaching staff is really looking for, is that Michael can be adequate at them. If Michael can be adequate at them, it allows them to keep Michael on the field for spelling Marshawn Lynch this year and being able to harness that explosiveness, while knowing that he probably won’t turn the ball over and he can block for a play or two if called upon.
I think it would be different if they were asking him to be the workhorse back this year. They would want him to be exquisite at all the little things. But that’s not what he is, at least for the next year or two.
The fumbles will kill him on this team if he can take care of the ball the rest of the way they will have a role. I don’t see them working lynch like a workhorse unless they have to this year. They want him fresh in the play
offs
I’m still doubtful that Michael will ever put it together. I would love it if it happened but it has truly been a long long time by RB standards to get to play consistently. My guess is Seattle is going to make draft pundits’ heads explode and draft two RB’s next year in the 2nd-4th range.
It would be great if I was wrong so Seattle didn’t have to force their hand at any one position but realistically how many more chances does CMIke get to show…the third and fourth pre season games this year? Because after that I would assume the team would go back to Lynch and the consistently (good and bad) of Turbin during the season unless Cmike really brings the heat in the next games. Then long term Seattle would have to prepare to potentially lose Turbin in Free agency perhaps Lynch retires or just slows down and you’ve got a RB that still yet has not proved himself? Seems dicey to me.
Miles nailed it IMO. Explosion, explosion, explosion. C-mike never quits, gives it his all. That pass drop was understandable. RW just flips it to him scrambling across his body, LOL. The miscue on the zone read was relly the only knock last night. But then again that’s what happens when you don’t have a good backup QB to get eveyone set and make corrections. He didn’t fumble the ball, lost it trying to stretch a yard when he was already down.
Couldn’t agree about the fumble, all he did was stretch it out after he was down. Happened all the time. The pass drop was clutch imo. He had almost no shot at getting but if he didn’t knock it down it could of picked
My only knock on the near fumble is that he didn’t have both hands on the ball going thru the defensive line. It wasn’t a fumble so no harm done. C Mike is clearly an explosive runner, but that never translates into long runs. Clearly the best blocker of the RB . I get the feeling they will only hold onto him while he is a cheap rookie. They are giving a good tryout of Rawlings and Smith. They both seem okay as RBs. whenever Lynch retires they will probably make a high round pick.
First, kudos to Rob. This site is the “Draft Blog”, but really, it is the best Hawks coverage in general. Best writeup on the ugly Kam situation I’ve read.
Which brings me to Dion Bailey. He is looking comfortable out there. If this continues and Dion studs out, it will make Kam’s holdout even more of a miscalculation.
Television coverage is almost always terrible, and this game was a good example. Cameramen are giving us great shots that show the quarterbacks nose hair, but we have no idea of what players have been substituted into the backfield. It is the preseason. The whole concern is to see what players are able to make the team. Is it so important to show that the cameraman can focus on some players earhole? Give us a shot of the defense, so that we can see who is in the game, for cry in’ out loud. And then they add the player interview while the action is going on so that we can not see who is making the plays. Sorry for the rant, but I broke some furniture over this one.
Rob you should start a 2nd Blog called Best Seahawks Coverage.com.
I think your draft insight is the best out there but your overall coverage and the blog discussions are the best out there.
UFA TY McGill showed nicely again at DT…The O-Line…including the second string (exception Poole) looked vastly improved. Run blocking might take a couple of weeks…Both starting FB’s from last year had their first game…that should be considered as well in the run game. KPL and Coyle Looked good…Baldwin, Graham, Norwood, Smith and Daniels had nice catches…first look at Avril, Bennett, Clark and Irvin nickel front..very intimidating…Seattle special teams might well be special again in 2015…Good showing by backup safeties again (Shead and Smith did great in secondary all things considered)…..Let’s see what the reg season preview next week in SD holds…with Lynch, Sherm, Blackmon, Burley and Hill returning to action. Did anyone see McCoy taking any snaps?…I saw Graham, Willson and Allen…
As underwhelming as the run blocking looked, I think the takeaway from this game is mostly positive. The run blocking will naturally improve as cohesion and repetitions continue, with or without a Mathis signing. The defense looked great all game, even though Alex Smith dink and dunked one touchdown score. We get at least a couple of those touchdown drives every preseason on our D. Everyone seemed to be tackling generally well. The receivers looked good. Pass pro looked great, and that should not be understated even amidst all the pessimism with our line. That pass rush in KC is one of the best in the NFL.
I think TY McGill is going to make this roster. He’s not the most versatile player it seems, but he can spell Brandon Mebane and give him a break. Which is great because Mebane is probably one of the most overworked players on our roster, and it would be great to keep him healthy all year. I think Schneider really uncovered a pretty shiny gem in McGill that no one else saw.
Anthony McCoy has got to be done. He didn’t feature much in this game and I think the coaching staff has already made a decision about him. Helfet is going to be our third tight end. They will try to slide Rashaun Allen onto the practice squad, and McCoy will be out there. It doesn’t seem like anyone else will pick him up, so McCoy might just be on our “ghost roster” just in case.
Knock on wood.
T.Y. McGill is an exciting little pospect. And I don’t mean little physically.
I didn’t even notice Hill was out last night until I reaf your post. IDK if that speaks to our riiculous depth on the D-line or the fact I’D was drawn to our LBs last night.
For once Bruce’s weight gain showed up last night in setting the edge.
With the CAP strain of securing our core players, I predict the Seahawks become a running back by committee team post Beast. PC always had quite a stable of ball carriers at USC. I wonder why Brandon Cottom is not getting any chances. His Coach’s film reveals a very effective runner who destroys would-be tacklers like few others can. At 6’2″ and 262 pounds with great athleticism, he is a nightmare to bring down. His film is so electrifying that I wonder if they are purposely keeping him under wraps so they can get him to the practice squad. After Beast, I think they will have to go bigger if they want to maintain that ability to punish and demoralize opposing defenses because there just aren’t other 215 pound RB’s in the world like Lynch that can punish defenses and remain durable the way he does. If you haven’t already, check out Brandon’s film. With his tackle busting ability, isn’t it conspicuous that he is not getting any opportunities???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsJ1mrz3ySQ
I totally agree about RBBC. You can already sense it in a way. If we’re looking for the next Lynch, someone come find me in 15-20 years. Don’t force the issue. You’ll miss out on good backs otherwise.
There’s a reason that guys who go 6’2-6’3, 240+ pounds don’t make it in the NFL. Only 3 I can think of. Dickerson, Okoye, and George. And only 1 had a durable career. They run too upright, take too long to build up their speed, don’t possess enough lateral agility, and have too much of a surface area to target/tackle. You want guys that run low to the ground, because as a defender you give up your leverage trying to tackle them. Cottom isn’t an NFL back. Pitt HB James Conner reminds me of Cotttom.
Just like the parameters Seattle has for CBs, they have one for HBs too. They know what they want.
It’s odd that the Seahawks brought in Smith. His proportions are,all out of whack for a typical Seattle runner. I disagree with the Cottom/conners comp slightly but in know way think Conners would be a realistic pick next year because his size will be off.
Size and speed. I think dude runs like a mid 4.7
It could be they don’t want to put any film out there on him and will try to sneak him on the PS.
Here are some of my takeaways with a draft twist since this is Rob’s blog.
1. Frank Clark and Tyler Lockett are on their way to disproving the argument that John Schneider can’t draft defensive linemen or receivers. Scneider’s rare move to trade up in the draft and get Lockett looks brilliant at this point.
Lockett looks like a starting slot receiver in 3-WR sets.
Clark seems poised to team with Avril and Bennett to give the D-line rotation 3 excellent pass rushers.
2. Tom Cable’s program of converting athletic D-linemen into serviceable inexpensive O-line starters looks like it is going to last and become another element of “the Seahawks way.” The competition is far from over but Drew Nowak showed enough at center to get the start again next week.
3. Gilliam showed enough at RT in pass protection against Justin Houston to get the start again next week. He might grow into a potential replacement for Okung.
4. The Hawks will likely carry 6 WRs. Only ADB and Lockett are certain to make the roster at this point. A roster with only 1 drafted receiver seems likely. How rare is that? Is that a coincidence or is it also going to become part of “the Seahawk way” for managing the cap?
5. The secondary depth this year looks formidable. Dion Bailey and Shead both did well with the first team. A lot of the missing guys are expected to practice this week and play in the next game so we should have a much better feel for the competition for the starting nickel back and the reserve spots. I am also starting to wonder if Cary Williams is a possible salary-cap casualty next year.
6. The salary cap should go up by $10 million next year. But with several players scheduled to get raises; Bennett and Kam looking for more; and Sweezy, Okung and Irvin in the final year of their contracts, it will be another challenging off-season for Schneider. Is it too soon to start speculating on likely comp picks for 2017?
7. The replacement for Lynch as feature back in a run-first offense does not seem to be on the current roster. That is my early guess for next year’s 1st-round pick but given the recent propensity to trade that pick, I wonder if Lynch’s replacement is currently playing on another team?
8. Seattle is up against the cap max right now. Evan Mathis isn’t affordable. Neither is Mark Sanchez. And there is no way to give Kam any extra money unless Kearse gets cut.
9. Who is the only player Schneider has ever traded up to draft besides Tyler Lockett? Jesse Williams is playing well enough to earn a spot and he improved from last week. The battle between Jesse and T.Y. McGill for the last DT spot could go until the last cut.
10. I am looking for news about T-Jack in the next couple weeks. They have to carry him on the 53-man roster. But, if he looks like he won’t be ready until week 3 or later then I expect that they will burn a roster spot to carry another QB to start the season. Some promising player’s career is hanging on the status of T-Jac’s ankle.
I agree about Kearse. Has to go to free up a little cap space. Then I think they sign Mathis and perhaps extend Mebane a couple of years to get some cap relief. Cary Williams could definitely be a cap casualty next year unless he plays lights out this year.
As for an Rb to replace Beast. I hope we can get this year and next out of Marshawn and take an RB in this draft to replace him. I see OT with our 1st pick and RB with the 2nd in 2016 Draft. Elliot out of Ohio St. is my favourtite player in this draft class. If I am Schiender I trade this years #1 and next years #1 to get him. I think a stud Rb is that important in our system. Just look how different our offense looks when Marshawn does not play.
Two firsts for a RB? Seems a bit steep since they got beast for way less then that. I kid slightly. I think Elliot is a replacement for lynch but if last years draft is an indication RB’s may be back in the fold pushing a player like Elliot to high for Seattle.
I think Seattle goes RBBC. And picks two as high as the second round though the fourth.
I can see the argument for CB Cary Williams being a cap casualty.
Too early to say for certain, but I think their draft could be, not in any order but, 2 OL, 2 DL(including an edge rusher), 2 DBs, 1 WR, 1 HB, possibly another one late in the draft, but definetly an UDFA, and either a DT, QB, or maybe even TE.
This class has some really good RBBC types and no. 2’s and 3’s, but IMO 2017 is the draft year to find a feature back.
Cary Williams was less than impressive against KC. He seemed to give too much room for the receivers, and bit on fakes. I expected more from him, as a veteran.
Looking for Cap Space
Based on what we’ve seen so far, hold outs and the available replacements, here are some of the names that might not make it to the regular season that could help open up some space for another FA signing.
Jermaine Kearse @ $2,356,000 and zero dead cap. With Baldwin, Matthews, Lockett, Richardson and the group of WR hopefuls can this money be redirected to a place of greater need? It seems like we are deep enough.
Kam Chancellor. If my understanding of his contract is correct, trading him would accelerate his pro rated signing bonus into this year which is a total of $3,000,000 vs his $4,555,000 base salary for a cap savings of $1,555,000. Kam’s holdout may force action and Dion Bailey might be fine stepping up.
Robert Turbin @ $774,114 and $114,114 for a cap savings of $660,000. With Lynch and Micheal in the fold and Smith and Rawls on deck, Turbin could be in danger.
That’s a total of $4,571,000.
McGill may be cut the way Williams is playing, but nobody wanted him as a free agent so an easy player to stash on practice squad, and if we do sign Mathis, I think Gilliam proved he should be at this point the favorite over Brit to start at right tackle. He was going against one of the best in the business with his first start and played great. I’m another who think we would be fine with out Kearse and hang on to one of the others
Kearse hasn’t done well yet. He struggles to get separation and only catches half the balls thrown to him, but what a spectacle when he does catch one!
Wow I watched the game late so I didn’t see it until tonite. The way some people are talking, Michael looked like Bo Jackson Tecmo Bowl edition and Turbin looked like he had two left legs. Seriously how does Michael have so many honks here? I saw a bunch of 2 yard nothing runs, a totally blown assigment, a bunch of whiney pouty facial exlressions, and one decent 10 yard run where he didn’t even get touched until 6 yards deep. He persistently went down on first contact and just ‘appears’ to have a fast burst where he doesn’t go anywhere. I just don’t understand where anyone is getting the idea that Michael is a legit number 2. This is a Bermuda Triangle level mystery to me. So many other guys looked fsntastic- KPL, Dion Bailey, Tyler Lockett, Gilliam at RT, so many other players to get excited about and gush over. And there are still always 7 or 8 posts about how Michael looks like he has finally met his potential. I think D Line and tackling what we should really be getting excited about. Lastly, our penalties are still ridiculous. I think we are getting a Raiders level of reputation calls now.
Seriously the D Line play has been awesome. And I am absolutely thrilled with the tackling across the board. We were zeroing in on guys and almost no one was getting second chance yards. When we tackle well and bring guys down at firsthe contact, we dominate games