LJ Collier reminds me of a guy I played high school ball with. He wasn't very good and only started because of a couple of ankle sprains. And every time he made a routine tackle, he hopped up and held a fist in the air, as if to say, "That was me! I made that stop!" It was cringy then, but to watch a professional doing it almost makes me wince.
I liked Clowney, though not at his salary, and it was an expensive short rental. But I felt like he helped the defense a lot. He drew double teams and offenses always over-accounted for him like he was Lawrence Taylor for some reason.
As for Jamal Adams, my fear for him is recurring injury. His style of play isn't suited for surgically repaired shoulders. He flies to the ball and throws his body around. It's exciting, but I worry he won't have a long career playing the way he plays best.
Never thought of it that way. Interesting perspective.
I had a concern that I think a lot of folks probably shared. That once signed to a big contract, he might not put in the same effort. That's a concern I've not had about Adams. That guy is the Energizer Bunny incarnate.
Clowney was formidable playing with TJ Watt and last year with Myles Garrett. As top dog here, he was an above average player (great against the run) who could occasionally take over a game. That’s my thinking.
Agree with you on Adams. Let's hope we're both wrong.
I liked Clowney too, to an extent. Not for the second round pick we gave up for a one-year rental. And not at the kind of money he was demanding. He showed that he could totally disrupt offenses. Remember the San Francisco game. How about the Cards? Yes, the Cards were shit that year but still, he was a wrecking ball.
Your comments about Lock is dead on. We’re already hearing that like 1 month ago. Huard was saying he heard from people inside the building that Lock has no problem picking up the playbook. So the public relations dept is already putting out that information to the flagship station people to get that narrative out there.
I’m on the fence about Nwosu. It makes me wonder why the Chargers would let him go if he is truly an ascending player and replaced him with Mack but Mack is no longer the same player he was 3 years ago. Also, how much of his success was due to Bosas presence? I don’t know the answer to that.
I think Nwosu is a win for all involved. The Chargers couldn't really keep him and acquire Mack, and Mack is probably a better player than him in 2022 for the win-now Chargers. The Hawks get a young player who may be ascending or may have peaked already at a reasonable price for a couple years. He's a solid player at worst and we've got young talent to complete with him for playing time.
This is another example of how intelligently JS & PC have constructed the roster this year. All the veteran additions are relatively young, on short-term deals, with mediocre NFL-starter floors. The only position where they've really shown their cards for the foreseeable future is safety (referring back to Kenneth's article on positional spending - https://seasidejoe.substack.com/p/seahawks-2023-cap-spending-positional-value). Every player on this team outside of our two safeties and DK are still proving themselves worthy of their next contract. There is very little waisted salary cap or gambling of future funds by our front office this year.
You’re right that they are young and minimal risks with short-term contracts and the overall roster construction process to build a team to compete in 2023-2024 seems sound.
However, I was just focusing narrowly on whether Nwosu is a good player this coming year. It gives me great caution that Nwosu played on with a great player like Bosa, for a defensive-minded head coach and they elected to replace him with another player. Hopefully, it works out.
I'll listen with a curious ear to statements about Collier. Would be wonderful if he broke out but I'll believe it when and if I see it. First round busts are common. Particularly late first rounders.
As for Walker, I suspect you're correct that he'll look great in camp. The real test will be how he looks when facing real NFL defenders in schemes designed to handle his capacity for cutbacks. My guess is they'll work hard to cover gaps and not over-pursue. He'll be facing NFL level athleticism and experience so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully he'll be phenomenal but I'm not counting my chickens.
If he were a guy who could run over or around people, I'd say "Goodluck NFL". Or, better still, "Screw you, NFL". But he seems to be a guy whose game is based on breaking tackles and then putting a shoulder down at the end. He occasionally powers through defenders but that was against college talent. When Barkley came out he appeared to have all the tools. He also went third in the draft.
Don't mean to be negative. Just realistic. I'm of course hoping he'll be a future Hall of Famer (though I'd be more than satisfied if he's a pro bowler). Time will tell.
I figure that Pete gives Lock about the same odds as Seaside. For perspective, Huard rates both Smith and Lock below 2011 Tavaris Jackson. I got the impression that Huard doesn’t see Geno as improving beyond what he is now while—as we all know—Lock has the potential for growth. That being said, it sounds like no one should be holding their breath.
The schedule, with so many tough games in the back, is the dilemma. Whoever finishes the season at QB will hopefully have a chance to build confidence in the early games (or we could be looking at one humiliation after another). Which is why whoever opens the season will be on a short leash—four games, is my take. That being said, Pete is a lot more likely to throw the veteran into the deep end.
I’m SO anxious for the start of training camp.
Can still remember how I felt when I began hearing about how Russell Wilson was opening eyes.
Hopefully we will be treated to some of that this year too!
I'd say we're overdue!
LJ Collier reminds me of a guy I played high school ball with. He wasn't very good and only started because of a couple of ankle sprains. And every time he made a routine tackle, he hopped up and held a fist in the air, as if to say, "That was me! I made that stop!" It was cringy then, but to watch a professional doing it almost makes me wince.
I liked Clowney, though not at his salary, and it was an expensive short rental. But I felt like he helped the defense a lot. He drew double teams and offenses always over-accounted for him like he was Lawrence Taylor for some reason.
As for Jamal Adams, my fear for him is recurring injury. His style of play isn't suited for surgically repaired shoulders. He flies to the ball and throws his body around. It's exciting, but I worry he won't have a long career playing the way he plays best.
I liked Clowney too, although I came away thinking that he’s at his best when playing Robin to someone else’s Batman. Robin *is* a superhero!
Never thought of it that way. Interesting perspective.
I had a concern that I think a lot of folks probably shared. That once signed to a big contract, he might not put in the same effort. That's a concern I've not had about Adams. That guy is the Energizer Bunny incarnate.
Clowney was formidable playing with TJ Watt and last year with Myles Garrett. As top dog here, he was an above average player (great against the run) who could occasionally take over a game. That’s my thinking.
Agree with you on Adams. Let's hope we're both wrong.
I liked Clowney too, to an extent. Not for the second round pick we gave up for a one-year rental. And not at the kind of money he was demanding. He showed that he could totally disrupt offenses. Remember the San Francisco game. How about the Cards? Yes, the Cards were shit that year but still, he was a wrecking ball.
Your comments about Lock is dead on. We’re already hearing that like 1 month ago. Huard was saying he heard from people inside the building that Lock has no problem picking up the playbook. So the public relations dept is already putting out that information to the flagship station people to get that narrative out there.
I’m on the fence about Nwosu. It makes me wonder why the Chargers would let him go if he is truly an ascending player and replaced him with Mack but Mack is no longer the same player he was 3 years ago. Also, how much of his success was due to Bosas presence? I don’t know the answer to that.
I think Nwosu is a win for all involved. The Chargers couldn't really keep him and acquire Mack, and Mack is probably a better player than him in 2022 for the win-now Chargers. The Hawks get a young player who may be ascending or may have peaked already at a reasonable price for a couple years. He's a solid player at worst and we've got young talent to complete with him for playing time.
This is another example of how intelligently JS & PC have constructed the roster this year. All the veteran additions are relatively young, on short-term deals, with mediocre NFL-starter floors. The only position where they've really shown their cards for the foreseeable future is safety (referring back to Kenneth's article on positional spending - https://seasidejoe.substack.com/p/seahawks-2023-cap-spending-positional-value). Every player on this team outside of our two safeties and DK are still proving themselves worthy of their next contract. There is very little waisted salary cap or gambling of future funds by our front office this year.
You’re right that they are young and minimal risks with short-term contracts and the overall roster construction process to build a team to compete in 2023-2024 seems sound.
However, I was just focusing narrowly on whether Nwosu is a good player this coming year. It gives me great caution that Nwosu played on with a great player like Bosa, for a defensive-minded head coach and they elected to replace him with another player. Hopefully, it works out.
I'll listen with a curious ear to statements about Collier. Would be wonderful if he broke out but I'll believe it when and if I see it. First round busts are common. Particularly late first rounders.
As for Walker, I suspect you're correct that he'll look great in camp. The real test will be how he looks when facing real NFL defenders in schemes designed to handle his capacity for cutbacks. My guess is they'll work hard to cover gaps and not over-pursue. He'll be facing NFL level athleticism and experience so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully he'll be phenomenal but I'm not counting my chickens.
If he were a guy who could run over or around people, I'd say "Goodluck NFL". Or, better still, "Screw you, NFL". But he seems to be a guy whose game is based on breaking tackles and then putting a shoulder down at the end. He occasionally powers through defenders but that was against college talent. When Barkley came out he appeared to have all the tools. He also went third in the draft.
Don't mean to be negative. Just realistic. I'm of course hoping he'll be a future Hall of Famer (though I'd be more than satisfied if he's a pro bowler). Time will tell.
I’m pulling for LJ. Mike Dugar and Chris Kidd interviewed LJ a year ago, and he came across as a stand-up guy—the kind you want on your team.
I figure that Pete gives Lock about the same odds as Seaside. For perspective, Huard rates both Smith and Lock below 2011 Tavaris Jackson. I got the impression that Huard doesn’t see Geno as improving beyond what he is now while—as we all know—Lock has the potential for growth. That being said, it sounds like no one should be holding their breath.
The schedule, with so many tough games in the back, is the dilemma. Whoever finishes the season at QB will hopefully have a chance to build confidence in the early games (or we could be looking at one humiliation after another). Which is why whoever opens the season will be on a short leash—four games, is my take. That being said, Pete is a lot more likely to throw the veteran into the deep end.