18 Comments

Great point I often wonder why Seattle seems to slow play negotiations. I am very sure there is an agreement to be made. Get it done before training camp.

Him tracking down Budda Baker was all heart and God given ability. I hadn't thought of that play in awhile. Cheers

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Your right he didn't hit it big but he did get life changing money. You have his 4 year previous earnings to consider. I am glad he got the money for the blood and guts he displayed.

Pete says he is one of his favorite Seahawks, I am not sure what he could do. I think he is to quiet to coach, but Pete will help if he can

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It's exciting to read these articles and watch the videos. I'm not one to count my chickens before the eggs hatch so I'm waiting until he shows he can do this at the next level before I get excited. But I'm definitely intrigued. Brings to mind Barry Sanders' first game against the Cardinals, first game of the "89 season. The Cards won that game but only because the Lions' coach didn't put him in until late in the game and he only had nine carries. Every time he got the ball he ran all over the defense.

He'd arrived in camp just a few days before that first game so the plan was to not play him at all. He went in as a desperation move and the result was a coming out party.

I guess even mentioning Sanders in a comment about Walker is a setup, so maybe I am counting my chickens. It's not fair in a thousand ways. No one was more elusive, could better stop on a dime or make a move to avoid a defender than Barry. Both were seen as fast but not super fast. Walker may be faster of the two. The reason I mention Sanders is that Walker creates holes (or at last did at the college level) in a way that reminds me of Barry. It's concerning that Carroll listed him as one the guys who reported out of shape. Let's hope he comes ready to play.

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I don't think it's a setup. You're not saying he'll be Barry, but there are traits they both have. And even being Barry like with out all the numbers would still be a great RB.

But to continue comparison, with the same qualifiers, his running style actually reminds me more of Payton than Sanders. Ken just seems to move a bit more like Sweeteness, but Ken would actually have more top end speed

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That would be equally awesome. I've seen reviews of Walker that refer to elusive speed. He surprised some reviewers by testing 4.38 at the combo. One suggested that this elusiveness is part of what makes defensive players miss. They wind up taking angles that are too steep, trying to stop him closer to the line, which is part of what allows him to beat defenders.

I imagine NFL defensive players will be less likely to make this mistake, in part because there's better coaching, more analysis and more time to study the strengths and weaknesses of opposing players before each game. Also, each player gets really well known to division rivals after a season or two.

I remain hopeful that he'll be great. Meanwhile, I'm limiting expectations. He definitely seems likely to be the best of our running backs. Penny has some break-away speed through the hole. If Penny could play consistently like he did late last season, he'd be the best back in the NFL. Walker seems to have that plus incredible vision and awareness. Not as bruising as Jonathan Taylor, who plays quite a bit heavier, but I could see the Seahawks helping him build to that level in the weight room.

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Hopeful and limiting--me too!

But what if Penny runs like he did last year (or close to it) and Ken busts out as an excellent back? Now I know Kenneth here doesn't get into speculation about what ifs because it's his writing gig, but the Hawks for me are entertainment so I can...lol.

If those guys ran like that, and we got pressure on the other teams' QBs, Seattle could be good, and maybe even very good.

Because then it's not dependent on the QB being the savior, and it's more of a '85 Bears, '2000 Ravens, '13 Seahawks kind of a build (or rebuild if that's what people want to say).

It's why I think Lock could do that role, and fit those not-too-tight passing windows to Tyler, DK, Fant, and screens, and be successful. He's athletic enough to avoid and run if need be, he has the arm to lengthen the field if they cheat on their 2 deep and allow Tyler or an Eskridge (Melton???) to slip behind, and he has experience as he's seen NFL speed.

Again, it's all speculation, but mine is based on our RBs, and Taylor, Ucheena and others (Mafe?) being good. It's not outside the possibility. It's the model LAR and SF are employing, and right now, SF doesn't have an advantage at QB based on experience (their defense IS an advantage though, big advantage).

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I agree with much of what you've said. Seattle could be surprisingly good. Or really bad. I'd put our under/over around 5 but if a lot of stuff breaks right, who knows. The line between great and piss poor in the NFL isn't as wide as one might think. Plus it's as organizational as talent based.

The point I most agree with is that this is entertainment. Knowing this allows me to watch football. I don't want to be one of those guys who gets so caught up in wins and losses that he gets depressed when his team loses. I keep reminding myself that the fans of the team that wins the superbowl, when that long ride is finally over, go back to thinking and writing about "next year" just like the rest of us. There's no "there" there. It's the journey much more than the destination.

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Exactly. Five wins about right. Had Myers hit kicks like he did the year prior, Dunlap and one other rusher have a really good season, the Hawks probably make the playoffs rather than 7-10. It's a thin line, as you indicated. I believe that.

Watched a lot of that in my Seahawks years. I've become that front-runner fan (M's) for everything except the Hawks. I'll even watch them when they're playing rough. Holmgren and Carroll have been great.

If this '22 team wins, it'll be really fun though because the expectations are so low. No matter what, it would be fun to win week one against the Broncos and play every team in the division really tough at least playing .500 ball.

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My preference is to tank and get that top draft pick. I know that Kenneth thinks it a bad idea and maybe he's right. A team can come upwound for a lot of reasons. But if we could maximize our chances of getting a franchise (maybe generational) QB, that would be huge.

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First let's say good luck to Chris Carson. I am fucking glad he got paid. If he makes it back that would be great but it sounds iffy.

I did watch Walker prior to the draft as he was ranked the second best runningback, to me he looked the best. From what I have come to understand of Seattle's running scheme the back chooses his lane. I think this gives our backs including Walker the ability to create. We will throw the ball enough so as the runningbacks are not keyed on every play. This is a hope, but wouldn't it be great if we were able to run the ball so well that we are dangerous. There will not be two high safeties if this is the case. Play action would work great. DK, ( pay him) will get one on one as Tyler will. Noha Fant will be a huge weapon over the middle. Both Geno and Lock are good enough to hit the open man and use the middle of the field. I saw a hot/cold graf of where we threw the ball last year. I knew it was bad but the map was ice blue on anything in between the numbers. Walker will break our injury jinx at runningback (crossing my fingers) and at the same time our new tackles will run block well. It's June and I am hopeful. I am tired of all the so called experts telling us to trade DK. You hope to win the lottery on draft day we did with DK. Why would we trade our best weapon when he is 24. It seems Mike Florio just wants it done so he can pontificate

Thanks Seasiders some good comments

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Totally agree on Metcalf. I think he's our new identity. Like Marshawn or Kam.

When he ran Baker down, he stamped his authority as the big dog that's not backing down or quitting for anything. You need that guy on your team.

Seeing that play recently, Metcalf ran past Wilson who was just conceeding the points. In hindsight, it's inspiring considering Russ has moved on and DK might take the reigns as a team leader

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My YouTube algorithm just showed me the Blueprint for the 2022 Seahawks. The First Game played at Heinz field.

Bettis lead the way with 152 yards rushing. Zeroue and Slash Stewart rounded it way up to 275 yards for the day rushing. The Steelers won the game 16-7 and played Steeler defense. Cordell threw 165 yards those yards plus return yards which were ample did in the Bengals.

Rashaad Penny isn't quite as big as Bettis but they are close. Penny is much faster, now he needs to be as durable as Bettis. Zeroue was their speed back and did well but Kenneth Walker is a couple of steps faster.

Pete Carroll can see Seattle winning this way. The Steelers defense was stout and good in the secondary. Kitna played for the Bengals and really didn't have any open receivers to speak of.

Can the Hawks play that type of defense, because you know if we get down 10 to 14 at half it will be to far. Anyway I wouldn't mind seeing us being that tough but faster !

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If Carson doesn't come back, I hope he gets a plum offer to work for the Seahawks in some capacity. $5 Million seems like a lot until you consider agent fees, taxes and the fact that it's a one-time payment. He's a young man who's given a lot to this organization. If he can come back for one more season, he'll be set financially for life.

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Your content just keeps getting better. Really enjoying this series. Been a long time since I've seen us with a RB who appears to have a full toolbox.

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Thank you! I am happy that the substack format allows me to do gifs and easily share these pieces, it is helping me get better!

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Walker was a great draft pick and a much needed one. Unfortunately it looks like Carsons neck injury is career ending much like Cam Bams.

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I hope Pete has good news on Carson in two weeks, whether that keeps him in Seattle or not.

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I do too, but I hope he doesn't come back unless the Docs are 100% sure he's OK. He's risking paralysis like Cam.

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