I trust Florio for anything legal related to the NFL. He's simply the best with being an ex-lawyer combined his long, wide and deep NFL experience. But he's not a specialist in the Seahawks and doesn't pretend of be.
Based on Jim Irsay's outspoken and knee jerk reactions as an owner, I suspect that he had the first and final say in drafting AR. If you work for the Colts, then you know that you made a deal with the devil and if you don't like it... Well, you know where the door is. So Ballard staying this long says it all.
AR has a Trey Lance feel about him. So even though many pundits, especially Rob Staton, repeatedly dropped podcasts that the 2023 draft may be the best and last chance to get a top end QB, You could tell when the Hawks draft pick dropped to 5 that it just wasn't going to happen. So it came down to Jalen Carter or an undetermined draft pick at the time.
Geno has the potential to a top quarterback with an increasing upside if the Seahawks continue the draft well like JSN and the young players from last year continue to improve. Each incremental improvement makes Geno better. So we just have to be patient because all the trend arrows point upward
Going with AR would be like starting over while he figures things out. Sorta like a QB in Chicago.
II don't think it was beyond reason that JS/PC had scenarios worked out, depending on how the top of the draft worked out, where AR would be a Seahawk. I personally wouldn't have a problem with him being drafted and sitting for a year or two, given how much he has to learn about the NFL game. His physical attributes would certainly be compelling to Pete. I mean, there is nothing he couldn't do on the football field, either running or throwing, so it would just be sorting out the mental side of the game......not inconsequential of course, but if they had several discussions with him, they would have some sense of how he understands the game.
So if he was sitting there at pick 5, who knows? They would have had a value on him, and if it wasn't pick 5 they'd have passed and picked Spoon anyway. Spoon would have been in the Tier 1/Round 1 grouping on the Seahawks board, but I don't think any of us know who else might have been in that grouping. Anderson? I think likely. The top 2 QB's? Probably one or both. Richardson? I tend to think not, but obviously don't know. Maybe he was in the Tier 2 or Tier 3 grouping, or maybe he was in the Tier 1/Round 3 group. No idea.
I'm glad it worked out the way it did for now. If AR turns into a better, more athletic Allen, well this discussion might change a bit down the road. Hindsight.....and all that.
If both Witherspoon and Anderson were gone and Schneider had been unable to trade down, he might have defaulted to Richardson. Pure speculation, though.
So much fun to speculate! This is like the butterfly effect because if Seattle takes AR at 5 the draft order could have been completely altered and the space time continuum would collapse, we wouldn’t have football, and be pulled into the multiverse of madness!!
it’s a moot point because it didn’t happen, and I think we are all happy with spoon and JSN. But I like the idea of getting JS drunk and seeing who he would have picked if AR and Spoon were available.
I never bought the AR hype. Yeah, he is an amazing physical specimen, but we know nothing about his aptitude for this sport. For all we know he could be a world-class gymnast.
FWIW, Randy Mueller thinks that Jim Irsay forced the Richardson pick on a GM and coaching staff that is unenthusiastic about him. I’m not completely convinced of this--if Chris Ballard deeply objected, he should have resigned.
2 in the hand are worth way more than 1 in the bush. The proverb is usually the other way around, so it ain't even close this way. Especially, when we have Geno operating on an acceptable level.
Insightful analysis, Kenneth. It's hard to imagine Seattle giving up both JSN and Witherspoon to take a flier on a guy who has accomplished as little as Richardson, particularly with Geno under center. Had he fallen to five, I still agree with your analysis that it's extremely unlikely for the same reasons. Witherspoon has a much higher floor and a way higher likelihood of becoming a star.
Of course all of this will look different if Richardson surprises us, but the Colts are hardly the organization to follow or admire or envy. Irsay has had a hardon to get a starting QB since Luck retired and the guy probably has an IQ of about 80 (on a good day). Just because you're rich as hell and the lucky owner of an NFL team doesn't mean you know your ass from your elbows. They may luck into a star QB just as they lucked into Luck and Manning before. But don't mistake anyone named Irsay for a guy who knows football.
We'll never know but I doubt it, for all the reasons laid out in Kenneth's article. Seattle had a depth chart. I doubt Richardson was anywhere near the top.
My guess is that had the draft unfolded this way, PCJS would have taken their chances and gone with Carter. Looking at who went where, they wouldn’t have had much choice.
Here’s something: Look at 10-19 and try telling yourself that JSN at 20 wasn’t miraculous.
It was his lack of speed at the combine that dropped him to 20. Hopefully he turns out to be as good as we're all hoping. There's clearly more to the position than flat-line speed. It's ironic that DK dropped all the way to the bottom of the second round because teams thought all he could do was run fast and JSN, another guy known by his initials, dropped to us despite having every measurable except speed.
I’ll take Brady Henderson over Florio ... Seahawks were not drafting AR at 5. Did they like him? Yes. Would they have drafted him in the second round? Or somewhere in the draft? Maybe. But not 5.
But I hope JS and PC keep an eye on him as they did Lock. There is a very high likelihood it will not work for him in Indy. In 3-4 years will the Seahawks be interested? TBD
Very well said. I'd jump in the 'no' section, but this is a better comment. They'll keep their eye on him, but it also says how much they value Lock. I think Drew is following the Geno pattern and Seattle is set at QB for many years on decent contracts.
"I think it’s better for both parties that they didn’t get the chance."
I agree, now there won't be any second guessing on "what could have been" if we'd passed on him and he turns out to be really good or if we took him and he busts.
But in the grand scheme of “don’t be an idiot while you’re trying to be smart”...
You and I both know you're just trolling to see if I'm paying attention.
Drafting an AR at this point in the re-tool would have been a very high-risk proposition. As Los Lobos are commenting on my 'phones right now, Tomorrow Never Knows how those moves will pay off.
Great band! I first saw them in 1984 at Austin’s Soap Creek Saloon. My late wife was 8.5 months pregnant and swore that the baby danced the night away!
I trust Florio for anything legal related to the NFL. He's simply the best with being an ex-lawyer combined his long, wide and deep NFL experience. But he's not a specialist in the Seahawks and doesn't pretend of be.
Based on Jim Irsay's outspoken and knee jerk reactions as an owner, I suspect that he had the first and final say in drafting AR. If you work for the Colts, then you know that you made a deal with the devil and if you don't like it... Well, you know where the door is. So Ballard staying this long says it all.
AR has a Trey Lance feel about him. So even though many pundits, especially Rob Staton, repeatedly dropped podcasts that the 2023 draft may be the best and last chance to get a top end QB, You could tell when the Hawks draft pick dropped to 5 that it just wasn't going to happen. So it came down to Jalen Carter or an undetermined draft pick at the time.
Geno has the potential to a top quarterback with an increasing upside if the Seahawks continue the draft well like JSN and the young players from last year continue to improve. Each incremental improvement makes Geno better. So we just have to be patient because all the trend arrows point upward
Going with AR would be like starting over while he figures things out. Sorta like a QB in Chicago.
II don't think it was beyond reason that JS/PC had scenarios worked out, depending on how the top of the draft worked out, where AR would be a Seahawk. I personally wouldn't have a problem with him being drafted and sitting for a year or two, given how much he has to learn about the NFL game. His physical attributes would certainly be compelling to Pete. I mean, there is nothing he couldn't do on the football field, either running or throwing, so it would just be sorting out the mental side of the game......not inconsequential of course, but if they had several discussions with him, they would have some sense of how he understands the game.
So if he was sitting there at pick 5, who knows? They would have had a value on him, and if it wasn't pick 5 they'd have passed and picked Spoon anyway. Spoon would have been in the Tier 1/Round 1 grouping on the Seahawks board, but I don't think any of us know who else might have been in that grouping. Anderson? I think likely. The top 2 QB's? Probably one or both. Richardson? I tend to think not, but obviously don't know. Maybe he was in the Tier 2 or Tier 3 grouping, or maybe he was in the Tier 1/Round 3 group. No idea.
I'm glad it worked out the way it did for now. If AR turns into a better, more athletic Allen, well this discussion might change a bit down the road. Hindsight.....and all that.
If both Witherspoon and Anderson were gone and Schneider had been unable to trade down, he might have defaulted to Richardson. Pure speculation, though.
So much fun to speculate! This is like the butterfly effect because if Seattle takes AR at 5 the draft order could have been completely altered and the space time continuum would collapse, we wouldn’t have football, and be pulled into the multiverse of madness!!
it’s a moot point because it didn’t happen, and I think we are all happy with spoon and JSN. But I like the idea of getting JS drunk and seeing who he would have picked if AR and Spoon were available.
I never bought the AR hype. Yeah, he is an amazing physical specimen, but we know nothing about his aptitude for this sport. For all we know he could be a world-class gymnast.
World-class gymnast? He might just revolutionize the NFL with an offensive scheme based on GYMKATA!
(I will show myself out)
Not 'til you clean up the turd you left on the floor!
FWIW, Randy Mueller thinks that Jim Irsay forced the Richardson pick on a GM and coaching staff that is unenthusiastic about him. I’m not completely convinced of this--if Chris Ballard deeply objected, he should have resigned.
2 in the hand are worth way more than 1 in the bush. The proverb is usually the other way around, so it ain't even close this way. Especially, when we have Geno operating on an acceptable level.
Skimpy 'ol bush only having 1 in it. Gee whiz.
Dude! We have two in hand AND a Bush!
Insightful analysis, Kenneth. It's hard to imagine Seattle giving up both JSN and Witherspoon to take a flier on a guy who has accomplished as little as Richardson, particularly with Geno under center. Had he fallen to five, I still agree with your analysis that it's extremely unlikely for the same reasons. Witherspoon has a much higher floor and a way higher likelihood of becoming a star.
Of course all of this will look different if Richardson surprises us, but the Colts are hardly the organization to follow or admire or envy. Irsay has had a hardon to get a starting QB since Luck retired and the guy probably has an IQ of about 80 (on a good day). Just because you're rich as hell and the lucky owner of an NFL team doesn't mean you know your ass from your elbows. They may luck into a star QB just as they lucked into Luck and Manning before. But don't mistake anyone named Irsay for a guy who knows football.
Maybe if Witherspoon and Anderson were both gone and Schneider couldn’t swing a trade down.
We'll never know but I doubt it, for all the reasons laid out in Kenneth's article. Seattle had a depth chart. I doubt Richardson was anywhere near the top.
My guess is that had the draft unfolded this way, PCJS would have taken their chances and gone with Carter. Looking at who went where, they wouldn’t have had much choice.
Here’s something: Look at 10-19 and try telling yourself that JSN at 20 wasn’t miraculous.
It was his lack of speed at the combine that dropped him to 20. Hopefully he turns out to be as good as we're all hoping. There's clearly more to the position than flat-line speed. It's ironic that DK dropped all the way to the bottom of the second round because teams thought all he could do was run fast and JSN, another guy known by his initials, dropped to us despite having every measurable except speed.
I’ll take Brady Henderson over Florio ... Seahawks were not drafting AR at 5. Did they like him? Yes. Would they have drafted him in the second round? Or somewhere in the draft? Maybe. But not 5.
But I hope JS and PC keep an eye on him as they did Lock. There is a very high likelihood it will not work for him in Indy. In 3-4 years will the Seahawks be interested? TBD
Yep. In the last month, I have seen a few on the Seahawk beat say that the Seahawks would NOT have drafted Richardson.
Very well said. I'd jump in the 'no' section, but this is a better comment. They'll keep their eye on him, but it also says how much they value Lock. I think Drew is following the Geno pattern and Seattle is set at QB for many years on decent contracts.
Seattle's on their game in my opinion.
"I think it’s better for both parties that they didn’t get the chance."
I agree, now there won't be any second guessing on "what could have been" if we'd passed on him and he turns out to be really good or if we took him and he busts.
But in the grand scheme of “don’t be an idiot while you’re trying to be smart”...
You and I both know you're just trolling to see if I'm paying attention.
Drafting an AR at this point in the re-tool would have been a very high-risk proposition. As Los Lobos are commenting on my 'phones right now, Tomorrow Never Knows how those moves will pay off.
Great band! I first saw them in 1984 at Austin’s Soap Creek Saloon. My late wife was 8.5 months pregnant and swore that the baby danced the night away!
Glad we didnt go for the "Shiny" thing