The fact that NFL fans side with teams worth billions instead of players, that put their bodies on the line day in & day out, never ceases to amaze me. Teams can cut players anytime but players are expected to honor contracts. Capitalism is obviously reserved for certain people.
— David Mulugheta (@DavidMulugheta) July 28, 2018
For those not aware, David Mulugheta is Earl Thomas’ agent.
This tweet is problematic.
Admittedly there are some fans doing what he says. Equally there are sycophants constantly tweeting their support at NFL players 24/7.
Social media has created a world of extremes. Opinions are rarely measured in any sector. Politics, sport, life. You pick a side, surround yourself with likeminded folk and never truly listen to the counter arguments.
An echo chamber.
Welcome to 2018.
The tweet above highlights one of the extremes currently festering within the always fun Seahawks twitter. Yet I suspect the majority of fans don’t have this opinion. Not in the slightest.
I haven’t done any grand study so I can’t be sure. There’s your disclaimer. I imagine though that many fans carry the following set of views:
1. They want Earl Thomas to be part of the Seahawks
2. They really like Earl Thomas and appreciate what a terrific player he’s been
3. They understand and accept his desire for a long term deal at the end of his career
4. They equally understand and accept why the Seahawks haven’t given him a big extension
For example…
1) There is nothing wrong with Earl Thomas attempting to maximize his career earnings.
2) There is nothing wrong with the Seahawks deciding they don't want to extend him.
3) As a fan, this situation is uncomfortable and I hate it.
4) I love Earl Thomas.
5) I love the Seahawks.— Evan Hill (@EvanonHB) July 25, 2018
At the point of publishing this article, that tweet was liked 421 times. For those not familiar with Twitter, that is significant. I skimmed through the replies. I didn’t find any push back, only people exclaiming what an incredible tweet it was.
Back to David Mulugheta…
The following quote…
“Teams can cut players anytime but players are expected to honor contracts”
…often appears in these discussions. Yet here’s the reality. The guaranteed portion of a NFL contract isn’t a secret. Todd Gurley’s new deal has $45m in total guarantees and $21.950m guaranteed at signing. I can log onto Spotrac right now and see what the true value is of the contract and how much it’ll cost the Rams to cut Gurley in each of the next six seasons.
We have all the knowledge we need of the true worth of that contract.
Gurley, like every other player signing a big second-contract extension, equally knows what the true value of the deal is. The Rams can’t ‘cut him at any time‘. Not without respecting the terms of the deal that were agreed by player and franchise. If they owe him guaranteed money, they’ll have to pay it.
This isn’t a case of capitalism being reserved for the owners, as Mulugheta suggests. It’s a simple contract that anyone can decipher, including NFL fans.
No team is doing anything sneaky or wrong by abiding to the rules of a contract. The issue here is fans, media, players and agents never seem to focus solely on the guaranteed portion of the deal. Gurley’s deal was announced as a $57.5m extension. In reality, the only number that matters is the guaranteed amount.
It’s not a $57.5m deal. It’s a $45m deal with a maximum potential value of $57.5m.
So it’s not capitalism. It’s not ignorance from fans. It’s a failure to consistently highlight a contracts true worth and structure.
There’s one other issue here too.
It’s absolutely right to expect fans to appreciate and respect the sacrifice players make for their entertainment. We can see, very evidently these days, that many NFL players give everything to the game. If you can’t acknowledge that you’re an ice cold individual.
It’s also difficult, sometimes, for the man or woman on the street to relate to a man not happy with his $8.5m salary having already agreed contracts worth $60m in his career. So while it’s right for fans to respect the sacrifice players make, it’s also important for the players (and their agents) to respect the financial world most fans live in.
For a lot of people the Seahawks are a release from every day life. The thing that helps them tune out. The thing that occupies a mind during a tough day at work. The thing they have to look forward to. The thing that makes them smile.
The logo, the team — it delivers pride and hope. And for years this team and these fans have connected in a way unique to the NFL.
That’s something for the players to remember, especially the multi-millionaire players, when their agents are talking down to fans who will never make close to a million bucks let alone $8.5m or $60m.
A final point for now. It’s perhaps also worth considering, if you’re Earl Thomas or David Mulugheta, why some fans might be somewhat negative recently.
Instagram demands, the Jason Garrett plea, and this quote when Thomas was asked about Kam Chancellor’s hold out:
“At this moment, he’s not battling with us, so I can’t really tell you what [his absence means]. . . . He’s handling his situation, [rather than] helping us. I try not to deal with that energy.”
Indeed.
Oh — and Duane Brown has signed a new contract.
For the #Seahawks and LT Duane Brown, it’s a 3-year extension worth $36.5M, source said. His second lucrative extension of his career.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2018
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Duane Brown extended!
While he was in the building.
Excellent news
Nice!!
You have no concerns about paying a 32 year-old lineman that kind of money on a 3yr deal?
You have no concerns about his age, especially given recent history with older players on this team?
I’d be more concerned about the alternative
Fair enough. And sorry about the double post. It took a long time to show up and I thought it failed.
Will be interesting to see the contract.
I’m the cheap guy among us, I’m happy paying 12 mil for an older lock down LT! I prefer that to 20 mil young stud!
Considering the market value and relative scarcity of capable NFL LT’s, while also considering that Pro Bowl LT’s frequently play well into their mid-to-late 30’s, what you have here is the team solving huge problem at a fair value. You’re lucky if you get that opportunity.
Considering the market value and relative scarcity of capable NFL LT’s, while also considering that Pro Bowl LT’s frequently play well into their mid-to-late 30’s, what you have here is the team solving huge problem at a fair value. You’re lucky if you get that opportunity.
I agree with your take 100% Rob.
I love ET but if $8.5M isn’t worth it for him to play on a 1-year deal to put his body on the line, then he should just retire. His current deal did not guarantee him an extension beyond this year so play or don’t play ET. Teams can cut players but players also have the option to quit (retire) whenever they want.
I hope he wants to keep playing, but trying to force a team to extend when both sides are under contract seems pathetic. When a player under preforms their contract it’s not like team protests that they shouldn’t have to pay the guaranteed amount amount owed in the contract because the player under performed.
Great Piec
I’m a Seahawks’ fan, not an Earl Thomas fan.
I actually have a hard time understanding what appears to be the prevailing opinion. If Thomas were in house (and always stayed in the right locker room), I’d be rooting for him to get an extension. But as it stands, I’m rooting for him to be moved, because what he is doing is hurting the team.
Him leaving will also hurt the team.
He’ll be leaving one way or another in a few months when he reaches free agency.
Unless he’s extended. Not looking like it with the way earl is acting but you never know. I think he’s worth it but could do without the piss poor attitude and entitlement.
Well said Rob, thoughtful and even keeled.
Awhile back we asked “who is Earl listening to that must be giving him advice that hurts him more than helps him?” One of those voices must be his incompetent agent. Why incompetent? Well, if this player or any player who has an agent, signs a contract that “allows him to be cut any time”, maybe someone should ask; “Who negotiated that contract?” Hey Earl? Any chance you’ve asked your inept agent for a refund?
Congrats Duane, class shows big man.
Duane held out last season for similar reasons. Some other team will pay Earl not Hawks.
It’s the agents that are the problem not the team players or fans.
Here’s what I’ve kind of concluded about the whole Earl situation.
He wants to stay in Seattle only if the team ponies up to a big time deal with a bunch of guaranteed dollars. If not, he wants to be traded to the deal that will.
The team doesn’t want to sign him to that type of deal, and they don’t want to get into the habit of caving to a player’s demand to be dealt if another team isn’t going to offer what Seattle Feels is fair compensation.
When Dallas chose to not send their second round pick to Seattle for Earl during the draft, that sealed this situation. I kind of sense the Earl front is greatly annoyed by this, and they are choosing to make Seattle seem like the unreasonable ones, while Seattle is simply not saying much other than Earl is under contract and should be with the team.
I really have to commend John Schnieder on this one. I would much rather see the team stick to their guns and not placate the player. If Earl doesn’t want to play for Seattle that badly, let him sit out the year. Have the conviction to call that bluff.
Super excited about the Duane Brown extension. Fantastic news.
Brown extended…..Earl not. Says something to me.
Very well stated Rob, thank you and Go Hawks!
” For a lot of people the Seahawks are a release from everyday life. The thing that helps them tune out. The thing they have to look forward to that makes them smile” How true!. And it cost’s them a good chunk of their hard earned money for a seat. That to me is what get’s lost on these players. It is the fans that pay the salaries. I don’t care who signs the check, no fan’s, no money, plain and simple. That is why I feel the players are disrespecting the fans if they continue with on field political protest’s, when the majority of fans want it to stop. Protest on your own time, not mine. Let’s just get on with football.
I think I’ll just not worry about this again until 9/9
Easier that way. Not like our opinions matter to either party.
We know as much now as we’ll know next month ✌
I think that’d be great… but the Earl camp keep stoking the fire.
Earl’s situations is different from Kam.Everyone including Earl knows he is not earning a third contract here. It’s least of fans or teams worry. He keeps stoking fire to force Hawks to agree for a trade now.
I agree and it won’t work the only result should be ET firing his agent! Agent is completely oblivious to the situation and how the Seahawk management feels. Don’t forget when we tried to trade Sherman our intentions were good we were not trying to unload garbage on another team just like Philly was not trying to unload a crappy WR on us for Bennett. I’m angry other teams & pundits are low balling ET but other teams are doing what they think will get them a discount. Now we know the agent is a biased idiot clearly complicating the trade. We desperately need a good draft pick for ET especially for next years draft. Next year DT, Right side OL, CB, LB, and a Tall WR that never drops the ball in the event Moore’s strength & width don’t make up for his length.
That’s what I keep coming back to
The FO isn’t swayed by the instagram and the ‘come-get-me’s’
I wanna believe that they’ll chalk it up to Earl being Earl and get the business done. Be that a trade or a contract.
I think Seattle would prefer to have him, are willing to bite the bullet if the deal isn’t there, and categorically don’t care about his instagram or his agent’s Twitter. However much his agent seems to want to use the fans as leverage, as you point out; we simply don’t care either.
The less he plays the less we’re on his side. The harder he presses, the less leverage amd goodwill he actually has.
Look how fast Brown got a contract from camp.
yep, we can’t do anything about it
just a millionaire fighting with a billionaire, I don’t give a flying f*** about them, same as they do about us.
if Earl plays, great.
If they trade him, great.
If he sits out the year, don’t care.
let’s talk about who is there, who is lighting it up, and who is playing himself off the team.
And Earl especially is such an eccentric person.
I literally don’t want to feed the hype around his holdout.
“Ohhhh look Seattle everyone’s mad about my holdout”
Yeah. Mad at you.
Wanna talk about being an underdog and being humble but then throw fans under the bus and hurt the team. Give me a break.
The hypocrisy is nauseatingly tangible
I agree with everything but I will say the CBA is dicking the players. If they want to fit for the players more capital share on the cba I’m all for it and am 100 % on player/agent side. Confusing the two (cba vs contract negotiations)seems like it’s often done with agents/players is what makes me mad. Agents who aren’t honest and don’t guide players on their market reality are the worst and that appears to be the case here with David and Earl. That and Earl has gone out of his way to not respect the team first in trying to negotiate. I will never support a player who’s negotiation tactics put himself first. What is misconstrued with that is that it doesn’t mean I don’t want Earl to make all the money he can from the team or another team just that his negotiation tactics I can never agree with how he has handled this and his agent is a part of the problem.
If the CBA is such an issue though, why has the salary cap grown so much since 2011 and why are players earning so much more in FA?
When since 2011 in any major sport has the salary cap gone down? It’s the nature of the business. Chalk it up to inflation. I don’t know anything about soccer but im guessing the price for a great score is not going down. Niether for a 3 and D wing in the NBA. Football is unique with the amount of positions and floating scheme’s. It is the only sport where a position can be devalued so heavily so fast. That’s the thing Earl is struggling with. Im a huge Earl guy but you can only be paid what the market dictates or it’s bad business for team. Still sucks though as he is still the best FS out there.
Also the players union is garbage. Always has been. I’d like to see a combination of Peyton Manning and Richard Sherman be in charge for both business and entertainment value.
The salary cap hasn’t just ‘gone up’ though in the NFL.
It’s grown by $34m in the last four years alone.
That’s not just inflation.
The money being used in free agency these days is incredible and many players are cashing in big time on their second contracts.
Didn’t the CBA agree to keep rookie salaries down so they could make more money in free agency? There are a lot of players who put their bodies on the line and never get past that rookie salary. Who takes care of them? And when will they enlarge the team roster and let a few more players on the team?
Two points in reply to this:
1. The changes to rookie contracts is very fair and justified IMO. Previously top-10 picks were earning incredible salaries before playing a snap in the league. Thus, this made it much harder for teams to save room to pay veteran players. And really that had to be the key in this CBA. To reward those who deserve it. Meanwhile, it’s not like the rookies are living off scraps. First round picks become instant millionaires. There’s less security in the later rounds but that is fair. The changes here, IMO, coupled with the rapidly increasing salary cap are a major success story for this CBA.
2. Enlarging the roster would make sense for health reasons. I’ve always thought 53 was an odd number. Could easily raise it to 60 and not really impact the game negatively at all. Or even 65.
Rob- Your right about the first round. The change did help with excessive salaries, but the drop off is still pretty dramatic.
First round, first pick Baker Mayfield making 33 million for 4 years with a 22 million signing bonus. 32nd pick Lamar Jackson making 9.5 million for 4 years with 5 million dollar signing bonus. That is reasonable amount for a QB learning the NFL..
About your point of instant millionaires, with the signing bonus they are still millionaires in the first round.
First pick in second round, Austin Corbett, 7.6 million for 4 years.
By the third round the salaries have dropped off. The first pick in third round, Brandon Parker, is making 4.1 million over 4 years.
First pick in fourth round, 3.2 million.
First pick fifth round, 2.8 million.
First pick in sixth round, 2.7 million.
First pick in seventh round, 2.6 million.
Its not bad money = unless you suffer serious injuries. In my mind the minimum standard for NFL veteran players is $500,000 a year. The rookies are in that range from the fifth round on.
First pick in fifth (Seahawks sweet spot for cornerbacks and safeties) 2.8 million.
I don’t see the issue Alaska.
We’re talking about day three picks, players that might not even be good enough to get a second training camp in some instances. I wouldn’t expect them to be earning more than the salaries you listed.
There should be a significant drop off from the first round to day three.
Lower round picks have always been paid a paltry sum so comparing them to the top in either instance would be futile.
Moreover, I love how the NFL has struck a balance between a team and a player’s agency. Think about it, if you are a player you want to be paid the maximum guaranteed amount for your services. However, if you are a team, you want to only pay the variable market value (or less) for a player’s services. So, you have one party who desires guarantees and another who desires variability in pay based on the market.
Comparing the NBA to the NFL, we can really start seeing the truth.
The Knicks had a millstone around their neck named Carmelo Anthony. He was paid a guaranteed contract that far exceeded his market value. For that reason, he and his team were stuck together while he was still good but not great. Eventually, he was traded twice and finally waived, effectively spoiling several years of the twilight of his career.
The Colts were forced into a similar situation with Peyton Manning. He was injured, looked to be on his last legs and they didn’t want to pay him the maximum amount of his contract. They waived him and he went on to the Broncos to win (and lose) a Super Bowl.
My only point is that the NFL is important because players know that performance is very important. The best can get cut quickly. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than watching Albert Pujols struggle to hold a bat, or Carmelo chuck up 3s like he is Steph Curry.
How players don’t understand where the fans are coming from really baffles me.
Fans biggest desire is for the TEAM to be successful and win. Period.
In a contract dispute between the team and the player, the general manager is taking actions in order for the TEAM to be as successful as possible. The player is taking actions to enrich THEMSELVES at the cost of hurting the team (every extra dollar going to that player is money that can’t be used on other acquisitions to help the team). In these disputes, the GM is working in the interests of the team and the player that is working against those interests.
That “David” person’s statement about contracts is equally absurd. The team’s ability to renege on parts of the contract is PART OF THE AGREEMENT itself and fully known to both sides during the negotiation process. If someone is buying a used car from me, and I tell them upfront that there is a 50% chance the car is going to die within the year, they have no position to complain to me if it ends up happening if I have truthfully reported the situation. The dollar value bargained will reflect that possibility (the price of the car would likely be cheap because of this possibility), just like the structure/dollar payments of a football contract already has those possibilities baked into the eventual deal.
David Mulugheta is a terrible salesman and a clueless individual! No wonder the ET trade has not happened. ET has got to fire that guy!
Mulugheta sounds more like an activist than a sports agent! Like I said last year several Hawk players have been brainwashed but I never imagined these activist would bring that garbage into their own $$ lively hood.
Right on Rob. ET walking over to Dallas lockeroom was hurtful to team even if players dont think so, coaches and front office do. They hold the cards. ET cost him an extention in Seattle. New philosphy in SeaTown. Reward those (Brown) who support the team. Shame I love ET and what he brings. I hope there is a resolution.
Somebody whispered into Earls ear to do that, I find it hard to believe Earl did that without some support.
Should I be afraid that the LT position is nailed down for the next 3 years?
This makes me uncomfortable, I’ve grown accustomed to uncertainty and players kind of turn-styling through the position for the last 4+ years. (sarcasm)
After a few years of wandering in the proverbial wilderness with the OL, it appears they have a unified plan and purpose now. No more “projects” and no more waiting for lightening to strike.
Not the mention, it appears to be a fair deal for both sides.
The nfl is the only sport that still has holdouts. Why? For the same reason they have an anthem problem, there is a major divergence between players and management. THe best way to fix it is get rid of non guaranteed contracts, that is what really creates this mess. the players union should not allow non gteed deals as it leads to this mess. Its a free option for the team that forces the player to act as ET is acting now. NO other sport has non guaranteed deals.
If the NFL agreed to guaranteed contracts, the players better be ready for the deals to be much much less and only last two or three years tops. You can’t pay a player that has been cut or sucks when you have a salary cap and 53 active players to pay. If you get rid of the salary cap, you better like having a few great teams and a lot of teams with no chance of winning…see the NBA.
The NBA is by far a better sport than the NFL and that’s coming from a die-hard Sonics fan.
No, it isn’t… Unless you like Warriors vs Cavs #4. Or watching them travel incessantly. Or watching them flop.
Look I like basketball, but guaranteed salaries de-emphasized the team and made it all about the player. Look at the Thunder, they went from being Uber-talented to an also-ran because they were held captive by one player. That is bad for the overall product and has lead to the era of super teams where only 4 squads have a shot at the title.
No other sport has a 53 man roster though
I actually think there are non-guaranteed deals in the other sports, the language is just different.
I think if the NFL called the non-guaranteed years “team options” like they do in MLB (and NBA?) that we would all have a much clearer idea about what these contracts actually are. The deals should be presented as such: the guaranteed portion should be presented as the value over the years of the guarantee, with team options for the additional years of the deal.
I think the only reason contracts aren’t represented that way is because teams need those additional years to spread the cap hit out.
Sounds like Wilson has a new favorite target!!!
“He’s a special player. He’s worked hard, stayed late, gets here super early, he’s dedicated. We talked all offseason. He makes a lot of plays. Marcus Johnson looks really good so far. He had a great day today. The first day he didn’t get many balls, just because of the way practice was, he got some. Today he showed up in a big, big way, made some crucial plays down the field. He’s so fast, so aggressive to the football. Championship player, too.” – Russ on Marcus Johnson. Sound like a certain someone to anybody? *cough* Kearse *cough*
Pete also praised Jaron Brown, comparing him to PRich.
If we truly did get a Zach Miller in Dissly, this offense is going to be scary.
Sounds just like Kearse! Well…except for the “special player” part. Oh, and the parts about him making lots of plays, looking really good, being so fast and so aggressive.
I kid, I kid. Sort of.
I hope so because MJ kicked everybody’s butt in practice during Philly’s Super Bowl run!
I know training camp is a hotbed for hyping up players, but some developments seem legit. So I updated my 53 man roster projection.
DE: Frank Clark, Branden Jackson
DT: Jarran Reed, Shamar Stephen, Poona Ford
DT: Naz Jones, Tom Johnson
DE: Dion Jordan, Marcus Smith, Rasheem Green
10
WLB: KJ Wright, Shaquem Griffin
MLB: Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright
SLB: Barkevious Mingo, Jacob Martin
5
CB: Byron Maxwell, Neiko Thorpe
CB: Justin Coleman
FS: Tedric Thompson, Bradley McDougald
SS: Bradley McDougald, Maurice Alexander, Delano Hill
CB: Shaquill Griffin, Tre Flowers
9
Defense: 24
____________________________________________
LT: Duane Brown, J. Jones
LG: Ethan Pocic, Rees Odhiambo
C: Justin Britt, Ethan Pocic
RG: DJ Fluker, Jordan Roos
RT: George Fant, Germain Ifedi
9
RB: Rashaad Penny, Chris Carson, Mike Davis, JD McKissic, CJ Prosise
5
FB: Khalid Hill
1
TE: Will Dissly, Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett
3
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jaron Brown, David Moore, Marcus Johnson, Amara Darboh
6
QB: Russell Wilson, Austin Davis
2
Offense: 26
____________________________________________
Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski
Punter: Michael Dickson
Long Snapper: Tanner Carew
Special Teams: 3
______________________________________
Some tough cuts in Brandon Marshall and Dontae Johnson. It could be Darboh instead of Marshall, and Flowers instead of Johnson, but I got them securing their guys.
Overall I’m pretty pleased with what I’m hearing out of camp. The receivers seem to be a bright spot, along with the corners and Running backs. Depth on the front 7 is our biggest weakness obviously, especially DL. Lock in a DE for Seattle in the 2019 1st or 2nd round.
I think DJ Fluker is actually the backup at RT to Germain Ifedi.
Isaiah Battle getting looks there too I hear
I think it’s more likely Ifedi backs up Fluker at RG and Battle/Jones at RT.
Nobody is predicting it but I think Ifedi is virtually locked in at RT.
Agree. Only meant that Ifedi backing up Fluker at RG is more likely than Fluker backing up Ifedi at RT, whoever it is.
IMO, the OL is currently locked at Brown – Pocic – Britt – Fluker – Ifedi. However, Ifedi will be on a short leash.
Like it! I think we go with 6 LB’s, 4 RB’s possibly 3 RB’s with a strong RB on practice squad.. At this point Delano Hill, Darboh, and Ifeldi are my biggest concerns
That’s… an NFL roster. Woof. I’ll be happy if they get to 8 wins this year.
Same. I have them at 7-9.
IMO, the coaching changes are a philosophical shift/return, but not an upgrade. The Schottenheimer/Norton decisions could fail spectacularly. Evolve or die.
‘Evolve or die’
IMO that’s a big reason why the on field product league wide hasn’t been very good the past few seasons or so. The NFL just refuses to do so.
At the same time, all of the success of the PCHS era (which is considerable…) has been based on a return to basics, fundamental old-school mentality, and the idea that your belief system and philosophy should not come and go but rather lead you through every change around you.
I think Pete once said that the major turning point in his career was when he realized that if you have many philosophies you have none. Similar to the saying about QB’s.
LLLOGOSSS is right here. Having absolutely clarity on what you are is probably the most important factor a team can have.
Dear David Mulugheta and Earl Thomas,
If still confused about the difference between guaranteed and potential earnings, please contact/see Mike McCartney, agent for Kirk Cousins.
Best,
Seahawks’ Fans
Carew got waived today, looks as if Dickson makes snaps.
From everything Ive read, Shaquem is showing out in camp right now. I have a feeling he is all but a lock to make the team with his hustle, ST value, D value as a backup, plus his intangible value to the team and especially his brother.
With that, I don’t expect the team to keep 5 RBS and a FB. I would substitute him there.
Ohh Buffalo. This just in. Highly inaccurate college passer is showing signs of being a highly inaccurate passer in the NFL playing with 3rd stringers. Never forget. They spent a top 10 pick on dude.
The arm on this guy though!:
https://mobile.twitter.com/ahammsportsgeek/status/1022957339333287936/video/1
Am I reading too much into this because it’s TC and that hardly ever translates over to the regular season? Yes, but he makes it too easy.
I think it’s telling that teams aren’t lining up to give up a first round pick for the right to pay him a hefty third contract. If teams don’t want him that badly, why should we feel motivated to act? I want the Seahawks to win. I love earl, but that’s my first priority.
Allow to add some fuel to the fire:
1. This tweet tells me that David Mulugheta had an active part in supporting Earl’s strategy of holding out in an ice cold safety market and is now trying to minimize his personal damage.
2. Navy seals, fire fighters and over 40 guys in seahawks’ uniforms will “put their bodies on the line day in & day out” for far less than Mr. “come get me”….and they will have our full support and adoration.
3. I have been a Seahawks fan long before ET was born and I’ll be a fan long after hes gone. I’m no longer a Sherman or Bennett fan because they are not in blue and green. I can’t understand why i should support a player that does not put my team first…
4. Teams cutting players has NOTHING to do with capitalism because whatever money a team saves is part of their cap space and will be used to pay other players. it will not add a cent to those billion dollar teams or make their owners richer. Earl is actually fighting to get money that could be paid to other players. I find it hard to support that kind of capitalism.
5. Any athlete that has anything to do with Mr. Mulugetha should be aware that he is not putting his body on the line for the millions he makes over Earl’s back and has been a part of one of the dumbest moves an NFL player made i recent years.
I think that about covers it for now…
And I think you covered it very well.
love this post. I cant remember when I didn’t side with the hold-outs in the past, now I am starting to get a sour taste about this one.
Nice one, Eran!
The Le’Veon Bell hold out / not hold out / take 14M vs take 17M… way worse in my opinion than ET.
This has dragged out over the parts of 3 seasons now.
Without billion dollar teams and fans, there are no players, or money for them. It’s such an ignorant viewpoint this guy has, and Earl is even a bigger idiot for having him as his agent. This is so lose-lose for Earl it isn’t funny because even if he sits out the whole year the Hawks can simply franchise him the following year.
That tweet was all about money, and specifically the AGENTS money. He himself doesn’t care about Earl except for the meal ticket he will get without so much as lifting a pen and dialing a phone. And he’s going to lecture us about sacrifice, PU-LEEEEEZE.
If he sits out the whole season he’ll be under contract in Seattle for 2019.
He has to be active for six games to accrue a season.
He would have to be active/available for 10 games, he can miss 6 sitting out. However, his salary would then be prorated from his current salary (minus 6 game checks or equivalent). He also will incur about a 485 thousand dollar fine for missing TC.
Essentially, the new CBA screwed players from holding out, without losing some serious coin in the process.
Earl being Earl again SMH. Duane is a great player, and I think the leadership and excitement he brings to the team is a huge plus, and probably a large part of why he got resigned for three years at his age. Not that old for a tackle anyway IMO. A little bummed that it means PC and JC think less of Fant than I’d hoped for, or maybe it’s that they see less from Ifedi than they’d hoped for. Ifedi, and Fluker side bye side scares me a little that we will be stuck always having to throw a RB or Te to help in pass protection, limiting the ability to attack the defense in multiple positions. Excited to see those beast line up in Goal line though:). Can’t wait to see how the depth chart battles play out all over this team, great time to be a draft nerd/ armchair GM lmao.
I don’t think it means much in terms of their view on Fant. More an acknowledgement that Russell Wilson is the key to the team now and with Fant coming off a serious knee injury, they needed some security at LT. This actually gives Fant plenty of time to recover and hopefully develop.
I am very optimistic about the OL. If Flucker can teach Ifedi by example how to use size and strength in the run game, our play action will be deadly. (Breno and Sweezy were not great QB protectors).
The backside with Brown and the stronger&bigger technically savvy Pocic will allow RW to concentrate on avoiding pressure from his right and that should be fine.
I honestly believe this OL will surprise us….
+1 I agree on all points.
I think the improvement in the OL and renewed focus on the run game will result in the Hawks going from the worst run game in the league to a top 5 unit. If Carson, Penney and Prosise stay healthy they could be scary group.
I cannot remember ever being this optimistic about the Hawks offense actually. If Marshall can replace Graham as the big red zone target this offense could be scary good.
Agree Trevor probably the best in Carroll era but the kicker issue especially 50+ and kick offs it could completely screw things up. I read a comment stating Jan looked really old.
Is there any DE’s out there that could be traded for Earl?
None spring to mind
We are loaded at 3rd down DE with 2 pass rushers at SAM!
I wouldn’t say ‘loaded’.
We got Green, Jordan, Jackson, that can play Elephant and Smith, Mingo, Martin other Side Clark can play both that’s 7 that I’m sure of we also have possibilities like Pugh. 3 of the 7 are former 1st rounders. I’m feeling strong about our DEs. It’s the 3 tech that were gonna be average to below average at in my mind.
Green — rookie
Jordan — injuries
Jackson — is he any good?
Smith — is he any good?
Martin — rookie
Mingo — so-so career so far
I wouldn’t say this is a loaded sextuplet.
the overwhelming comments here seem to be that Earl and his agent are wrong and won’t get what they want.
Duane Brown just signed a 3 year extension with his new team after holding out for 6 games last year with a team he did not want to be with anymore. And lots of people here very happy about it.
so it seems to have worked out for him
and I would bet if we checked comments on Texans’ sites they would be similar to what we are seeing here.
just saying…..
Let’s be right here. People are saying, myself included in this article, that Earl and his agent are getting this wrong with their actions. And I think that is fair. Yesterday’s tweet a case in point. I can handle a holdout and understand to an extent why ET is doing it. What I can’t abide are tweets like Mulugheta’s or Instagram posts firing at the Seahawks when really he should be barking at the Cowboys to make a decent trade offer.
And Earl probably won’t get what he wants (trade or extension). Duane Brown had two more years left on his contract. Earl does not. So the chances of a team trading for Brown were increased as long as he was willing to play. Which he was, as he’d returned to face the Seahawks the previous week for Houston. It’s a simple fact that if Dallas wants Earl but doesn’t want to give up a pick they just have to wait a few months. So this is a very different situation.
Plus there will always be a high demand for a quality LT. Earl is making these demands at the worst possible time looking at the current safety market.
Wish we knew the details, how much does Earl want etc… One thing is certain Mulugheta’s tweet didnt help. Earl should hire Eric Berry’s agent or someone else who has more experience. Mulugheta has Earl, Bobby Wags and a bunch of rookies in his quiver that’s it.
I am not saying he is doing it the right way, but I have been through enough myself to not say he is doing it the wrong way. We don’t have all the facts and we do not yet know the end result. I am not going to go out of my way to criticize what he is doing, or the way the team is handling it. I will wait to see where it all ends up.
That is certainly an understandable stance to take Hawk Eye.
But I think it’s also understandable why others are irked by the situation. Especially when Earl’s agent is tweeting accusations at fans and ET is demanding the Seahawks trade him or pay him even though they’ve already committed $60m to his career.
let’s agree that Earl and his agent are not going to win the PR battle, they are outclassed there, as most players are. This is partly because their union is the weakest in all sports, and partly that they do not collectively seem to understand how to win the PR game. They think about millions while the owners think about billions. Management knows the players and fans better than the players know management and the fans and that is why they win most of these battles.
I agree with the context of what his agent is saying, but give him a failing grade for his ability to state it in a manner that will get his client support from the fans.
but I find the whole thing entertaining, and am not bothered by it.
Personally I don’t even agree with the context of the tweet. I don’t think it’s badly worded, I just think it’s absolute nonsense.
It’s a market. LTs are in short supply. You can get a couple of very capable safeties on the FA market.
Rob (and the gang)
Why has the safety market gone ice cold the last 2 seasons?
There are 2 or 3 high quality safeties out in the FA STILL…. not including ET on the trade block.
Oddly enough, this reminds me of how RBs were not being paid a few years back, but now we have 3-4 that are cashing in and due to make bank. Maybe it is truly cyclical…
I think most teams in the league scheme around the position. If you have a chance to collect a great safety you might take it but even then vs another position the value might not be there. There hasn’t been many great safeties in the league since I started writing this blog and teams have got used to not relying on great safety play. They can work around it. We’ll see that in Seattle this year.
And for all the recent claims of the diminishing value of the RB position they still regularly get drafted in the top 5-10 picks. Gurley, Bell, Zeke, Johnson and eventually Saquon could easily reset that financial market.
If I rooted for players, I’d stick to Tennis and Golf.
The richer get richer.
Georgia gets commitment of 2019 5 star RB John Emory Jr.
Arthurian dragon hoarding youth
The reason I’m a Georgia fan. Always have top runners and DEs
Not a UGA fan, but living here and marrying one has me following the team and the hype is real. I love the UGA style and atmosphere. the SEC certainly knows how to do college football. Some of the best game days I’ve been to even if I didn’t care who won.
I will never side with the party that doesn’t honor the contract they signed. I will always side with the party that does. It’s pretty simple, and the fact that Earl’s agent is tweeting out this nonsense makes him sound like an idiot.
Rob, that was an excellent breakdown. I have to agree with you, 100%.
Another thing reagarding Earls pay this year: he has already received some money on top of his base of 8.5 million this year: he was paid a signing bonus, and 1/4 of that was for this year, averaging out to 11 million or so, by my recollection. He’s had that money for three-four years, with the ability to invest it having likely increased that amount substantially.
It annoys me no end that no one reports his compensation including his signing bonus.
Your perspective on the situation is spot-on.
Can anyone enligthen me if my following list of outside FA (who factor into the comps) is correct? Because I think if 2 players on similar play level compete for a job on the 53, John is going to cut the outside FA and tries to recoup a 4 or so for Graham/Richardson/Richardson.
Cap savings>0 (easy cuttable):
DT Johnson
DT Stephan
CB Johnson
RG Fluker
K Janikowski
K MYers
Cap savings<0 (probably not cut)
LB Mingo
WR Brown
TE Dickson
Probably don't factor into comps
SS Alexander
WR Marshall
I am really curious on this as well
Im getting increasingly interested and excited about Tedric Thompson.
So much buzz coming out of camp about this guy, including a pick of Russel Wilson yesterday. More than one mention of his “range”, something that i thought showed up on tape at Colorado. But then he ran a 4.6, and looked slow last preseason, so I thought maybe not.
Either way, since its looking increasingly likely Earl will not be suiting up week 1, Im certainly intrigued to see if Tedric can win that job.
To be fair I didn’t notice a lack of speed a year ago. He had that one mistake in game one of the pre season and seemed to be judged unfairly harshly as a consequence. He was a fantastic college player & having had a year with the team could be a very useful player in 2018.
Lets hope so, we need a few people to step up, he could be one of them.
He only ran a 4.6 40 at the Combine but his game tape in college looked a LOT faster. I am hoping that Thompson can win the job because I think that the best possible starting safety combination is Thompson and McDougall.
+1 Loved him coming out and was a huge fan of the pick for Hawks.
Pete loves guys who can turnover the ball in the secondary and I think that is an area Thompson will excel. Sure he does not have Earls range and speed but no other Safety in the league does and they can make some small scheme adjustments to compensate for this. Thompson is known as a real student of the game and was the clear leader on a talented and successful Buffs secondary in college.
I think he an Mcdougald will be a much better than league average Safety duo. Are they Kam and Earl? Of course not. But like trying to replace Beast Mode that is not possible. These guys were generational player and HOFers. If Thompson is a solid ball Hawking FS who can lead and communicate well that will be just fine for me as a Hawks fan.
Ed Reed ran a 4.57 40. Steven Terrell was sub 4.4
TT’s poor 40 means it might be difficult for us to play the same scheme we do with Earl, so it’s up to PC to make the approrpriate adjustments. His college tape looked faster than 4.6 speed, and he certainly seems to have the coverage skills. Definitely something to watch this preseason.
I’ve always thought TT’s forty was overanalysed.
He’s never going to be Earl but who is? Plenty of teams are starting safeties who didn’t run a 4.3 or a 4.4. It’s not like Landon Collins struggles to make plays with a 4.53 after all and Keanu Neal ran a 4.62. Dan Quinn drafted Keanu Neal in the first round.
But Neal and Collins play SS, not FS. Totally, utterly different positions. Speed is far more important for a FS than a SS. And Collins running a 40 in 0.14 seconds faster than Thompson should be concerning.
He ran a 4.7 at the comine–unless my memory fails me, which is admittedly far from unlikely…..and a 4.56 at his Pro Day. Most Scouts add a 0.10 to Pro Day times, for good reason. Rob has even said as much.
I like Thompson, but he looked a lot closer to a 4.66 guy than a 4.56 guy in what little action we’ve seen. And while you can scheme a bit for a slower FS, its a liability.
Early days, but I’m thinking both Thompson and Hill are mostly bench behind McD and the Rams guy…
Few points here…
1. If you check the Ourlads depth charts they have Neal at FS. He interchanges with Ricardo Allen. Even if you wanted to call Allen the FS, he ran a 4.61. So one way or another, their two starting safeties are running similar forty times to Tedric Thompson.
2. Tedric did not run a 4.70. He ran a 4.60 at the combine.
It’s important to be accurate.
Good points, Rob. I had read Thompsons 40 (the slower of 2) at the combine was a 4.66 or something, but that was over a year ago and my memory isn’t the best. But his lack of speed stuck in my memory.
Branden Jackson is listed as a DT, but he’s really a run stuffing DE for us. And Quinn has a different thing going on with his safeties.
But your point is well taken–Seattle can and will adjust their scheme without Earl. And speed at either S position isn’t a requirement, just nice to have.
For instance, great as Kam was, he wasn’t the best in coverage, and it seemed every time he switched with Earl to be Single High S, he got burned. I blamed the DC for allowing Kam to be in that situation…
Seahawks looking at Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
I’ve always thought he’d be an excellent fit for us.
Wish Neiko Thorpe or Flowers was asserting themselves, but with former blog favourite Deandre Elliott hurt and cut, our depth is less and less promising
His agent is absolutely right – NFL co tracts are a one sided joke that only one party is really bound by and are a complete outlier in professional sports. This is perfectly illustrated by your very next paragraph in giving a 32 year old tack a “three year” contract flush with money he’s got zero chance of ever seeing.
You haven’t paid any attention while reading this piece have you?
Both parties are very clearly ‘bound’ by the contract. I’m not sure how anyone can seriously argue otherwise. Click on the Spotrac link for the Gurley contract. It lays out perfectly how they are bound to Gurley. They have guaranteed him $45m. They will pay him $45m. If they cut him in two years, they’ll pay him $45m. If they cut him in four, they’ll pay him $45m. If he sees out the contract, they’ll pay him $57.5m.
How is that not evidence of the Rams being bound to the contract? Your point would only make sense if the Rams could cut him at any time without any need to pay him the money he is legitimately owed per the terms of the contract.
I’m not sure why this is so difficult to grasp for some people.
And by the way — that 32-year-old agreed to the deal and talked about how great it was to sign yesterday. So if it’s such a crappy contract, why’d he sign it and then speak so positively about it?
You are only seeing one side of the coin Rob.
you can pull out a few contracts to prove either side pretty easily, but I don’t think you have had much experience dealing with rich people and how they view contracts. I have signed contracts for 35 years, and if I do not have “practical leverage” to enforce it, I view them as worthless. Why? Because the rich guy says “sue me” and he knows that takes years to get to court. Or as the general contractor explained it to me 28 years ago. ‘it will take you 3 years to get this into court. I don’t care. Now, do you want a legal solution or do you want a practical solution?”. Welcome to the real world.
Now the NFL players will get what is owed to them, but every year there are more players squeezed by management than the other way around. Great players can make waves, average ones better play along.
There are some players that get a good contract, but every other sport has 100% guaranteed contracts. The NFL union is a joke, the absolute worst is sports.
Kam gets his money? Yes. And he got the guarantees put in because he knew what the risk was.
How about Avril? Nope, he gets screwed. Got hurt, gets cut.
of course, the fans say, “these guys still make millions, why are they complaining?” Because this job will literally kill them, and the owners are making billions. A lot of the players are jerks and do not do their cause any good. But hard to become a billionaire without having psychopathic tendencies and their cover up of the concussion issue should have opened some eyes. They are just better at presenting their case to the public and know how to play the court of public opinion much better. Does not make them right.
so tell me, how do NFL contracts compare to every other major sport??
If the situation is so good, why don’t the other sports copy football contracts?
The combination of condescension and ignorance in your post is staggering.
How is Avril getting screwed? Let’s say I rent a car at the airport. The guy at the desk asks if I want to buy insurance that will protect me in case the car is damaged while I’m using it. I pass. he says, “Are you sure? If the car comes back with damage, you will be liable.” “How much is it?”, I ask. “An extra $29.99,” the guy says. “No thanks,” I say, “I’d rather save the money and not get the insurance.”
I bring the car back damaged and they want to charge me for it. Am I getting “screwed”? Avril could have bargained for injury guarantees if it was important to him. He didn’t. He’s not getting screwed.
You can’t “pull out a few contracts” to prove “either side” pretty easily, because your “side” doesn’t exist. The “side” where NFL owners don’t abide by the terms of the contract simply doesn’t exist. For some reason you just want NFL players to get more than they bargained for. No wonder you felt like you wanted to sue somebody over a contract, it sounds like you have no clue what you are doing.
talk about ignorance.
how is renting a car like an NFL contract?
how many contracts have you negotiated in your life? Do you understand how negotiations work?
did Avril get to collect his whole contract?
Did Sherman?
Will Jon Ryan?
Now compare that to hockey, baseball and basketball.
with regards to why their agent did not do a better job, it is because the odds are still in the owners favour. That is why the contract for Cousins was unique.
“my side”???
I don’t have a side, but I can see both of them, unlike you, and I don’t see the situation as black and white.
with regards to me wanting to sue someone, the contractor said he was going to cancel a contract I had to supply $80,000 in millwork for a school, because “his guy made a mistake”. It was not legal and he laughed at “legality”. I don’t live in your perfect world, I live in the real one. Why don’t you ask a lawyer about contracts and how they really work, not in your fantasy land. If you had real experience in the business world you would not talk about things the way you do.
did the NFL owners hide their knowledge of concussions with the players? Is that not abiding by a contract to withhold information?
You just seem like a real jerk, I am trying to explain how the other side may see things and you choose to attack me. But I realize it is not your fault, were you dropped on your head as a child, or does your lack of intellectual curiosity come naturally?
Lol. Be friends here.
I don’t have to ask a lawyer about how contracts really work. I WAS a contracts attorney in a downtown Seattle firm.
The irony is that you keep trying to explain how things “really work” to people with a greater knowledge of the subject than you. The irony is that you talk about my lack of intellectual curiosity while you are the one displaying (and holding on to) a childish understanding of NFL contracts. I’m sorry you think I’m a jerk. Maybe I just never learned how to say “you’re wrong” other than just coming out and saying it. Go read your post and see how condescending it is, all while continuing to fail to grasp the core concept that just because an NFL contract is *announced* as, say, 5 years, $50 million, that doesn’t mean the player is entitled to that under the terms of the contract.
The players understand that. The agents understand that. Why can’t you? In fact, the irony is that it’s the players (actually, the agents) who WANT the contracts announced that way rather than saying what it really is, say, a 3-year deal with two club option years.
I’ll try again. Cliff Avril’s contract is like a car rental agreement in that in both cases, the person had an opportunity to get insurance to protect themselves as a hedge against risk. If they choose not to, you can’t say they “got screwed” when that risk comes to fruition and they lose money because of it.
Did those players get to collect their whole contract? YES! This is what you are not getting. They got everything they were entitled to under the terms of the contract they signed! For some reason you just think they should get MORE. Why? They’re aren’t “the little guy” getting bullied by a general contractor; they have a massive union with an army of lawyers and millions of dollars. They had competent legal representation.
You seem to think all players couldn’t bargain for fully guaranteed contracts. There’s nothing in the CBA preventing it, nothing to stop them. Happens all the time.
If NFL contracts are such a “one-sided joke,” then why are the Seahawks bound to pay Kam Chancellor $12 million over the next two years when he is never going to play football again?
Ding ding ding.
Bueller?
“Wrong”… perfect username to match that comment.
The NFL is the NFL comparing it to other sports or whether contracts favor 1 side will not get a contract done or a deal done, it’s irrelevant especially when both sides are on the clock (age). Using politics (Mulugheta) as an excuse and as method of leverage (shaming on side) is pathetic because it has no leverage! Mulugheta thinks he can convince fans to turn on Schneider but that won’t work because most fans do not share Mulugheta values, it’s a miscalculation on his part in a multimillion dollar deal! In fact it would be the biggest deal of Mulugheta career. What part of Mulugheta’s background demonstrates he can sell? Convincing 22 year old kids and their parents means nothing, I did that in my 1st job out of college 30 years ago. Eric Berry 78 mil 40 mil guarantee 20 million signing bonus and ET Hall of Fame production and so far not 1 team will pony up a 1st round draft pick clearly something is seriously wrong! Don’t give me this safety market is down BS any deal maker will tell you, that excuse is used daily by weak sales people. Closers set the market and If Mulugheta was doing his job every single pundit would be pumping ET instead what do we hear “oh it’s a down market for safties”
OK. Crazy thought. Would Green Bay be a potential suitor for Thomas? Their starting Safety was carted off the field this morning. Mike Pettin last year with the Seahawks studying their style. They run a4-3, and they have a bunch of young corners who could really be helped with Thomas‘s presence. Then there’s the connection between Green Bays GM and Schneider who are buddies from back in the day. Green Bay also has two first round picks going in next years draft and both figure to be late first-round picks. Also they have around 11 m in cap space. Perhaps they could flip one of those pics to the Seahawks and redo Earls deal.
It would absolutely suck to see him in Green Bay uniform but just saying the stuff out loud it doesn’t sound crazy to me.
Thoughts?
Well, it’s more likely now Green Bay has a new GM. Ted Thompson would never make a move like that.
I’ll be surprised if a team makes a move though. Seattle’s asking price + the fact he’s out of contract at the end of the season makes this very difficult.
The only team that I know is aggressive enough to pull a mid season ET trade is New England. If the they felt like he would be the difference between winning a title and not, trading one of their 2 2019 2nd rounders for 10 games of Earl plus post season wouldn’t surprise me. They would have a very talented and deep secondary.
Brown contract likely a mistake. Don’t like the odds on that one.
Well we’ll see.
The logic behind it at least makes a great deal of sense. Seattle toiled at LT after Okung and everyone complained. They haven’t drafted early enough to get a top young LT and none ever reach the open market. So they’ve addressed the problem in a pro-active way. And with Russell Wilson being the absolute everything to this team now (and he is) — getting a good left tackle was vital. Everything around Wilson is set up for success now. He has weapons, a running game and established players at LT and C.
+1 You cant play playoff football without a bookend LT, you will get exposed (if you even make it that far) LT is such a premium position, you dont complain about the price, you’re just happy you have one.
He’s a pro bowl left tackle. They don’t grow on trees. If he gets hurt or sucks it will be a bad deal. If he plays like he is supposed to and doesn’t get hurt he is a great value. Left tackles have been able to play into their late 30’s historically. The risk is baked into the cost. Good deal if it works out, bad deal if it doesn’t. It’s football, guys get hurt sometimes.
I will say that we should be looking hard for his successor be it Fant, Jones or TBD, to protect Wilson through his 30s.
$36.5 million dollar extension with only $16 million guaranteed.
Pro Bowl LT, protection for our franchise QB, leadership/stability/continuity for our OL…
You need to get 2 average Duane Brown years to make it a great extension. I criticize the hell out of PCJS for overpaying for skill positions, but how can anyone criticize this deal?
I really love a vast majority of your work on this site; but this may take the cake as your best yet.
I don’t have much to add other than to give my perspective as a fan. I’m sick of the drama. I’m sick of the politics. The Seahawks are my form of release and my care for the team has dwindled over the last few years with stuff like this. Not every aspect of life needs to be have some grand meaning. It’s a disturbing trend in our culture where everything has to be “politicized” (think in terms of sending messages).
Some of my most fond moments were bonding with fellow fans during the early Pete Carroll years. Nobody cared about the other person’s politics. Nobody took sides when it came to ownership or the team. The team was fun to watch. The personalities complemented the style of play. I hope we get back to that.
I will add…my comments on the “politics” doesn’t mean I don’t care about issues. I just think it’s healthy for all of us to be able to bond over something that doesn’t require us to pick a side other than the team we root for. Has all the Seahawks drama over the last few years made you like them more or just sour you? It has soured me. I really hope this situation with Earl is the last bit of drama for awhile.
I am right there with you my man. Completely agree.
Not earthshaking for the team, but sad, is the retirement of Joshua Perry a linebacker who apparently suffered his sixth concussion and opted to quit. Good move, young man. Only 24 and promising, hopefully he find some other advantages.
Rob, do you/are you doing a following piece on the rookies as camp progresses?
The only 2 rookies I see much about are Dickson and Shaquem…both of whom seem to be showing out at incredible levels.
I’ve been a HJUGE fan of the Dickson pick since draft weekend and love seeing him show out. I was way more reserved than most on Shaq but will happily eat my crow and ask for more if he continues to show out and becomes a big part of the team.
I’m limited there because I’m not at training camp. Will offer thoughts on the pre season games though.
Bummer, I kinda figured that was the case but had a hope. I’m likewise limited in how much insight I have…mostly only the one or two odd articles I can find on Fieldgulls.
Shaquem caused a fumble by Vannett one day then picked of Russell by stepping in front of Vannett the next. Looks like the kid just makes plays. Not worried about the Griffins. And love what Dickson can add, especially when I keep reading how stupid the hawks were to spend a 5th round pick on a punter, and to trade up for him. “experts” don’t seem to understand how a punter who keeps improving field position drafted where few picks make an impact or even last more than a few years is worth a 5th round pick.
I am more interested in the overall play of the last 3 drafts.
Ifedi, Reed, Procise, Darboh, Hill, Jones, Vannett, Thompson, etc will determine whether or not this team can contend in the next few years. If they cannot take the next step, welcome to mediocrity. And need a few more UDFA’s and low picks like Flowers, Moore, Swoopes to step up like Carson has
Living out of market, I’ve been keeping a pretty close eye on practice reports from beat writers, bloggers, etc. and I’ll summarize some of what I’ve seen about each drafted player. Haven’t really heard much on UDFA honestly.
Penny – Supposedly picking up pass pro very well. Seems to be behind Carson as the lead back and Prosise as 3rd down back. Will clearly get work in the rotation. People say he doesn’t seem as explosive as Carson, but is much more “smooth”. Heard a Shaun Alexander comp in that regard. Read good things about him catching the ball so far. Also working KR/PR duties too.
Green – Had a good showing the first day in pads. Not dominating right now, but looks like a good rotational piece at the very least this year.
Dissly – Working as TE2 while Dickson is out. Not much on him so far, but I remember seeing a comment about a good downfield run block. He’ll show up more in preseason games I would think.
Griffin – Making splash plays including a FF and INT. Also getting beat in coverage sometimes. On all ST units according to Brian Schneider, just trying to find his exact fit there. Seems like the coaching staff and players love him.
Flowers – Seems to be making the transition to corner well. Still a work in progress, but has been getting snaps at RCB2 after Maxie. Could factor into plans later this season already.
Dickson – By all accounts, he’s punting the s*** out of the ball. Has been working on holding too. Unless he implodes during preseason games or in camp, I think he’ll win the job.
Jones – Haven’t seen a ton on him, but read that he did well in 1v1 drills the first padded practice day. That was also against backups, so who knows.
Martin – Playing SAM and rushing from the end. Had an INT in camp. Seems like he could be a nice rotational piece and ST player this season. Can’t ask for much more out of the 6th round.
McGough – Typical young QB. Making some plays along with boneheaded mistakes. Sounds like he’s getting lots of reps to see what they have as they already know Austin Davis and he was with Schotty previously. I think he has a decent shot to be QB2 if he plays well in games.
Again, these are not first-hand accounts, just what I’ve read perusing the internet. Feel free to add what you’ve seen or tell me how wrong I am.
Appreciate the notes. Certainly more than I’ve been able to run down.
‘Behind Prosise as 3rd down back’
Until he gets hurt. Again.
Green will probably take a year or two to get going, but if he picks it up sooner and is a big time contributor before than it’ll be a nice bonus. Kid has all the potential in the world.
Vol – come on man. Don’t jinx the man. Richardson was also hurt a lot and when he pulled out of it, boy did he perform. Let’s be positive about CJ ever minute we can. Should he get hurt again, then we can kick him to the curb!! 🙂
Maxwell, Thurmond, Richardson all had lots of injuries their first few years.
White in Chicago, Clowney in Houston, lots of players all over the NFL have injury issues the first few years. Look at Luck in Indy (first name “Bad”) the last 2 years. Some of it is luck, some is they are not in proper football shape, some is just that they are not physically designed to to play the game and break down due the the violence and physical nature of the NFL.
We do not know yet where Procise fits in all of that. I am hoping he has done enough this off season to adjust his body and be able to play most of the games this year.
Just hoping though, not claiming he can. But if he can, what a set of weapons they will have in the backfield!
That’s very possible, but boy would a 3 headed monster of Carson, Penny, and Prosise be something. A guy can dream, can’t he?
I think it may be a slow burn for Green too, but agree that he has a ton of potential. I know some people were trying to spin that Norton was head over heels for Quem and Tre and not as high on Green in his presser yesterday. To me, it just sounds like they’re still feeling Rasheem out and seeing where he can fit. The expectations of early round picks vs. late round picks also plays into it a bit I’m sure.
I hope it works out that way but I’m a bit skeptical. Prosise is a game changer when healthy and on, he’s also been fragile.
Really wanna believe they’ll go the route of a NO, ATL, or even what Tennesee plays on doing and utilize 2 different backs with 2 different skill sets.
I think the RBs will see a lot more use in the passing game this year. Maybe more screens, but definitely wheel routes, flats, etc. Really, every back on the roster right now can catch the ball. It would be fun to see 2 back sets with Carson and Penny just to see the mismatches they could get in the passing game.
Wow, thanks a million for taking the time to write this up!
No problem. I needed something to do at work, right??
Not saying Flowers is Sherman 2.0…. but he has the same traits. He has been able to cover large and smaller WRs pretty well on short as well as down field throws. He also is transitioning smoothly from playing safety to CB. All good stuff.
wouldn’t that be sweet. The Hawks need to hit on some of these late picks like they did 6 or 7 years ago.
What made Sherman special was his intellect and work ethic and film study. And attitude.
All of which can be a double edged sword on occasion, to the dismay of some.
But let’s hope Flowers can be more similar to Sherm than Tharold Simon was
That would be fantastic. Along with the intellect and film study, don’t forget the fact that Sherm was a fantastic tackler as a CB. We’re talking elite level here. It may not seem like a big deal to most, but I’ll be interested to see how Flowers tackles. As a former safety, hopefully he does it well. I can’t even count the number of times Sherm went 1-on-1 with a RB who got outside or a WR on a short route and took him down. Very underrated aspect of his game.
@ Bobby Wagner. DUDE, you need a new agent, and it’s painfully obvious, quit paying for a douche bag when you don’t even douche.
Do you mean Earl? Wagner has been nothing but a consummate professional in his media dealings recently (seriously find them if you can, he is a pleasure to listen to) and has solidified himself as the true heart of the defence.
Off topic:
Any news on the Seahawks game in London and the tickets for it?
There was a rumor (reported on 710ESPN) that it has moved venues and is now going to be in the big stadium, not the smaller one as originally planned.
Just listened to Ken Norton’s presser—he is in love with Tre Flowers. So exciting! Can you imagine if they develop ANOTHER CB?
Also, I am worried about our pass rush. But I went back and watched some games from last year and, jeez, do we forget how bad our pass rush was at key times. Bennett, Avril, Clark…they got stonewalled on many passing downs.
While I think we’re going to be worse than last year, we will be doing it for a lot cheaper. Something to consider.
He also gave the most John Madden comment since the man himself (I think his time in Raiderville may have tainted him there).
In response to roles of Mingo and Martin:
“On run downs they will play the run, on passing downs they will rush the passer.”
If they can add another long, athletic pass rusher like a Montez Sweat (Miss St) or Brian Burns (Florida St.) come draft time next year they’d have a fantastic young trio along with Clark and Green.
If they do have a down year it won’t be the worst year to have it.
A top-16 pick in 2019 will net you a top defensive lineman. Edge or inside.
Get Hyped!
“Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. on rookie linebacker Shaquem Griffin: ‘Anytime you turn on the film or (are) out here at practice, you can’t help but notice him flying around the field.’ Griffin had a forced fumble Sunday and an interception on Monday.” ~ Brady Henderson
I see a lot of people comparing NFL contracts to NBA and MLB and talking about how poorly the NFLPA negotiated, should be more guaranteed money, better injury protection, etc.
I think those of you on that side of the debate are forgetting one fundamentally huge difference; neither the MLB or NBA is inherently dangerous and harmful to the player. Football as a contact sport is 1000x more damaging on the body and likely to get the player injured, potentially for life. Non contact injuries like ACL happen everywhere and are more of a S&C issue than a sport issue, but are far more likely in football, again due to the nature of the game itself. MLB and NBA are fine giving more guaranteed money for the simple fact they are far less likely to lose RoI to a career ending injury in practice/game. NBA and MLB gamble mostly against age and skill decline. NFL gambles against age, skill decline, AND huge injury risks. The guaranteed money is there is the agent can negotiate it (see: Cousins, Kirk)
So Kam got a better deal than Avril? Thats an agent issue, not a football contract issue. Kam got that put in his contract, Avril didnt. Get a better Agent.
Earl wants more money and guaranteed earnings? Great, get a better agent to argue your case.
NFL teams bring in guys to do nothing but negotiate contracts and get the best deal possible for a team. Why would a player not do the same?
What do y’all Huskies fans think of your QB situation?
Is Browning firmly entrenched, or is it an open competition?
Have you looked at your new Freshman QBs, yet?
Aaaannnndddd, guess who’s back in town… J.R. Sweezey signed today. I guess as a cheap option for competition/depth it is not a bad move, I guess I just kind of thought that ship had sailed along with Cable.
Sweezy signed.