The concern about going cheap/value at the IOL is that this seems to compromise continuity. I’m no expert, but people who are say that’s important to the success of the line. Seahawks starting IOLs under Schneider (LG-C-RG)
The Hawks haven’t lost any FAs who made me weep, even Bobby whose lost step was obvious last season. I did cheer several of the releases they made for cap reasons. If all they have done is get younger, cheaper and similarly skilled players compared to the losses then that’s a win.
I don’t see an obvious drop in talent from last season from a team that barely missed the playoffs. Let’s hope the new coaching staff can inject some new and improved schemes that get the Hawks a playoff win or more.
I always look forward to FA & draft being over, pre-predictions flushed, a real roster to talk about.
"Seattle’s kind of doing a semi-push for 2024" makes sense to me,.
JS said on AM710; Hawk priority was to sign DL Williams, so he couldn't move as quick as Miami on LB Brooks because Williams was 1st priority. I hope it's a strategy shift to prioritize lines (re)build - BOTH the D & O lines. Most telling is 2013 Hawk #1 O line spend (Unger et al) to subsequent OL "savings".
However it was done by JS/PC, Hawks haven't had a consistent pass rush in years, nor has the alleged "run-1st" offense been able to run tackle-to-tackle or control time-of-possession in years. No decent center since Britt. Just mentioning Gallery & Joeckel would get Russ running for his life!
If JS/MM think the O skill guys are serviceable then (I hope) the rebuild strategy focuses on interior G-C-G and depth, ie G. Fant, etc. "The best defense is a good offense" is just an old saying, but if you keep your O on the field 5-to-10 minutes more than the opponent, it rests your D, tires opponent D & keeps their O from scoring.
Hawk D is closer to a teardown-rebuild, so it'll be interesting. D tackles getting paid means everyone else now realizes "...it's the line (stupid)...". Like '22 & '23, '24 Hawk D vs. run is unproven, depth is suspect. Do Hawks even have the 2 inside LB for 3-4 D?
I expected nothing from Hawk D in '23 and it did not disappoint ;-)
I'm optimistic for the D after '24. Based on the depth of the D rebuild needed, I don't expect much in 2024. New coaches, new philosophy, gotta "hit" on tons of new players & rotations - not happening.
Unless Hawk O really lights it up & barring a bunch of opp. injuries - 2024 "success" is:
Split w/Rams, win both Cards, lose 2 by less than 7 to SF.
Icing on cake: kick Sean Payton's arrogant ass when Broncos visit, upset one of Vikings, Bills, Dolphins.
(Exact kind of from-thin-air pre-season prediction I dislike ;-)
I like the way the new crew is doing this. They’re busy but seem to be following the wade in vs dive approach. It seems that avoiding the bank busting splashy one player away from the promised land leap gives one a low graded report card.
I like the idea of having the cream-of-the-crop pundits all getting a report card of their FA pronouncements say, the day before the start of the following year’s FA.
Free agent grades, issued a whopping week after the start of free agency, are looking solely at past performance AT BEST. And in most cases, those grades are a mixture of past performance and wishful thinking.
If the Seahawks ever earn an A+ in a free agency grade just after the start of free agency, I’ll expect a 6-11 season at best.
I like what’s been done so far. Let marginal starters leave for big bucks and sign replacements for much less. Then you have money to resign your own players that you REALLY want to keep.
I can’t recall where I saw this, but there was analysis that showed a negative correlation between FA spending and wins. GB and Seahawks were 2 of the lowest spending teams on FA.
It’s been a while since I was in school. My recollection is that grades were something I got during a semester and at the end, but never before the semester actually started. Just saying.
Fyi the fabulous analyst at CBS, the same guy who said that drafting Legree and Moffitt were excellent picks but the rest were only Ok ( note the draft that gave us KJ Sherman Maxwell Malcolm Smith and Carp) and then in 2012 said we picked Bruce way to early (and likely have a limited career) a too short QB and never mentioned a first ballot HOF MLB, gave us a whopping F- for our preseason thus far. Well based on his track record, I’m lovin it!!!!
JS moved on from Pete for cold hard reasons. It's his job to eliminate speculations, minimizing them if unavoidable. He knew what effect his "marriage" with Pete had- what would have happened with the guys he and Pete disagreed on, ego aside. I have full confidence the guy knows his business. He knows how everybody will be weighing his decisions exceptionally hard this season.
It may simply be that John has a less than stellar opinion for what colleges are producing lately. Preparing for the "real world" gets no tougher than entering the NFL. It may very well be that our big guys need a few years out of school to adjust to a place without safe spaces? Dunno.
I've not ever involved myself in deep dives into this phase of football, so thanx for the education, Seaside!
In my sales profession, I like to use the word "value" instead of "bargain". They mean the same thing, but value stirs up fewer negative emotions when used. Inexpensive is better than cheap, also, but both are independent of quality or production. That's why value is always the target.
I think JS would prefer these terms, too. Value= higher quality-to-cost ratio, and I think that's what he is shooting for most often. We'll pay more for higher quality and a reasonable amount for everyone, but we're not breaking the bank because very few players are guaranteed productive. If we had Mahomes, I'd bet the ranch that JS would pay him. But, he isn't overpaying for any level of productivity, and I love that about him.
After 37 years of running my business , I couldn't agree more. It applies to everything regardless of what it is. A matter of perspective and what you believe will make things work the best! I am of a belief that after the QB on offense the O-line is the most important unit if you want consistency, which ultimately turns into wins- and a chance at the dance!
With all the statistics that are out there in today’s analytics world, you’d think we could see an “predictions tracker” or a “grades tracker” going back let’s say 5 yrs, just to see how all these media dudes actually perform.
It’d probably look a lot like baseball statistics. Most of the “players” would quickly get sent back to the minor leagues (Twitter/X?) after spring training. The major leaguers would be made up mostly of guys hitting singles for average like .250; a few who strike out a lot but hit for power, and of course once and for all exposing all the pretenders who are just posting someone else’s stuff, finally they’d be banished for never having had an actual at-bat.
And maybe you’d find there are one or two gems, the very rare Mickey Mantle’s and Joe DiMaggio’s.
Seaside Joe gives all NFL GMs participation ribbons for 2024 free agency and calls it a day.
I'm a parent with two children in elementary school and I think we can grade GMs like we do seven-year-olds. They are either part of the small handful that are distractions and make everything more difficult for everyone else (Cleveland and Jacksonville come to mind), or they pretty much do what's expected and get along alright.
I agree that unless they play college basketball teams rarely “win in March.” Who does win in March is the NFL which has collectively turned this time of the year into must see TV. Because of trickle down economics, even Seaside Joe gets to pay a few bills too.
Are far as free agency goes - they are treading water. The Seahawks have not lost anyone who in the surface is going to cost wins. Conversely the roster until proven wrong does not look better.
I doubt that the new coaching staff had a lot of input into free agency. They been on the job for about five weeks some less. With that in mind the only decision where I suspect there were substantive decisions was resigning Fant and Williams - decisions for more than 1 year.
The Seahawks are not per se rebuilding but 2024 is definitely tryouts for a lot of players.
When it comes to the offensive line, the Seahawks need one all pro. One of those guys regardless of position makes a huge difference because they can be counted on to erase their man and after that blocking schemes get a lot easier. None of the players available in free agency were that guy. So while I will complain about interior offensive line I realize it is a lot like quarterback the best place to find the difference maker is the draft.
The concern about going cheap/value at the IOL is that this seems to compromise continuity. I’m no expert, but people who are say that’s important to the success of the line. Seahawks starting IOLs under Schneider (LG-C-RG)
2010: Hamilton, Spencer, Andrew’s
2011: Gallery, Unger, Moffitt
2012: Carpenter, Unger, McQuistan
2013: Carpenter, Unger, McQuistan
2014: Carpenter, Unger, Sweezy
2015: Britt, Lewis, Sweezy
2016: Glowinski, Britt, Ifedi
2017: Joeckel, Britt, Aboushi
2018: Sweezy, Britt, Fluker
2019: Iupati, Britt, Fluker
2020: Iupati, Pocic, Lewis
2021: Lewis, Pocic, Jackson
2022: Lewis, Blythe, Jackson
2023: Lewis, Brown, Bradford
The Hawks haven’t lost any FAs who made me weep, even Bobby whose lost step was obvious last season. I did cheer several of the releases they made for cap reasons. If all they have done is get younger, cheaper and similarly skilled players compared to the losses then that’s a win.
I don’t see an obvious drop in talent from last season from a team that barely missed the playoffs. Let’s hope the new coaching staff can inject some new and improved schemes that get the Hawks a playoff win or more.
There are people who grade the choices of nfl teams.
There are people who grade the people who grade the choices of nfl teams.
Then there’s me, who grade the people who grade the people who grade the choices of nfl teams…..and I give SSJ an A-……because reasons.
That's an A+ comment
I always look forward to FA & draft being over, pre-predictions flushed, a real roster to talk about.
"Seattle’s kind of doing a semi-push for 2024" makes sense to me,.
JS said on AM710; Hawk priority was to sign DL Williams, so he couldn't move as quick as Miami on LB Brooks because Williams was 1st priority. I hope it's a strategy shift to prioritize lines (re)build - BOTH the D & O lines. Most telling is 2013 Hawk #1 O line spend (Unger et al) to subsequent OL "savings".
However it was done by JS/PC, Hawks haven't had a consistent pass rush in years, nor has the alleged "run-1st" offense been able to run tackle-to-tackle or control time-of-possession in years. No decent center since Britt. Just mentioning Gallery & Joeckel would get Russ running for his life!
If JS/MM think the O skill guys are serviceable then (I hope) the rebuild strategy focuses on interior G-C-G and depth, ie G. Fant, etc. "The best defense is a good offense" is just an old saying, but if you keep your O on the field 5-to-10 minutes more than the opponent, it rests your D, tires opponent D & keeps their O from scoring.
Hawk D is closer to a teardown-rebuild, so it'll be interesting. D tackles getting paid means everyone else now realizes "...it's the line (stupid)...". Like '22 & '23, '24 Hawk D vs. run is unproven, depth is suspect. Do Hawks even have the 2 inside LB for 3-4 D?
I expected nothing from Hawk D in '23 and it did not disappoint ;-)
I'm optimistic for the D after '24. Based on the depth of the D rebuild needed, I don't expect much in 2024. New coaches, new philosophy, gotta "hit" on tons of new players & rotations - not happening.
Unless Hawk O really lights it up & barring a bunch of opp. injuries - 2024 "success" is:
Split w/Rams, win both Cards, lose 2 by less than 7 to SF.
Icing on cake: kick Sean Payton's arrogant ass when Broncos visit, upset one of Vikings, Bills, Dolphins.
(Exact kind of from-thin-air pre-season prediction I dislike ;-)
I like the way the new crew is doing this. They’re busy but seem to be following the wade in vs dive approach. It seems that avoiding the bank busting splashy one player away from the promised land leap gives one a low graded report card.
I like the idea of having the cream-of-the-crop pundits all getting a report card of their FA pronouncements say, the day before the start of the following year’s FA.
I like your wade in vs. dive in analogy. I think it’s spot on.
Free agent grades, issued a whopping week after the start of free agency, are looking solely at past performance AT BEST. And in most cases, those grades are a mixture of past performance and wishful thinking.
If the Seahawks ever earn an A+ in a free agency grade just after the start of free agency, I’ll expect a 6-11 season at best.
I like what’s been done so far. Let marginal starters leave for big bucks and sign replacements for much less. Then you have money to resign your own players that you REALLY want to keep.
I can’t recall where I saw this, but there was analysis that showed a negative correlation between FA spending and wins. GB and Seahawks were 2 of the lowest spending teams on FA.
It’s been a while since I was in school. My recollection is that grades were something I got during a semester and at the end, but never before the semester actually started. Just saying.
I was invited into the Honors Program at Wazoo based upon my high school grades and was out after my first semester. :-)
Fyi the fabulous analyst at CBS, the same guy who said that drafting Legree and Moffitt were excellent picks but the rest were only Ok ( note the draft that gave us KJ Sherman Maxwell Malcolm Smith and Carp) and then in 2012 said we picked Bruce way to early (and likely have a limited career) a too short QB and never mentioned a first ballot HOF MLB, gave us a whopping F- for our preseason thus far. Well based on his track record, I’m lovin it!!!!
FYI we finally signed an OG!!! Yes indeed. Rams one time (one game??) starter Tremayne Anchrum Jr….
As a Seahawks fan, I wish for him to succeed mightily.
JS moved on from Pete for cold hard reasons. It's his job to eliminate speculations, minimizing them if unavoidable. He knew what effect his "marriage" with Pete had- what would have happened with the guys he and Pete disagreed on, ego aside. I have full confidence the guy knows his business. He knows how everybody will be weighing his decisions exceptionally hard this season.
It may simply be that John has a less than stellar opinion for what colleges are producing lately. Preparing for the "real world" gets no tougher than entering the NFL. It may very well be that our big guys need a few years out of school to adjust to a place without safe spaces? Dunno.
I've not ever involved myself in deep dives into this phase of football, so thanx for the education, Seaside!
In my sales profession, I like to use the word "value" instead of "bargain". They mean the same thing, but value stirs up fewer negative emotions when used. Inexpensive is better than cheap, also, but both are independent of quality or production. That's why value is always the target.
I think JS would prefer these terms, too. Value= higher quality-to-cost ratio, and I think that's what he is shooting for most often. We'll pay more for higher quality and a reasonable amount for everyone, but we're not breaking the bank because very few players are guaranteed productive. If we had Mahomes, I'd bet the ranch that JS would pay him. But, he isn't overpaying for any level of productivity, and I love that about him.
After 37 years of running my business , I couldn't agree more. It applies to everything regardless of what it is. A matter of perspective and what you believe will make things work the best! I am of a belief that after the QB on offense the O-line is the most important unit if you want consistency, which ultimately turns into wins- and a chance at the dance!
left out that the difference between value and bargain is that bargain is at an assumed lower-end cost, and value has no tie to cost.
With all the statistics that are out there in today’s analytics world, you’d think we could see an “predictions tracker” or a “grades tracker” going back let’s say 5 yrs, just to see how all these media dudes actually perform.
It’d probably look a lot like baseball statistics. Most of the “players” would quickly get sent back to the minor leagues (Twitter/X?) after spring training. The major leaguers would be made up mostly of guys hitting singles for average like .250; a few who strike out a lot but hit for power, and of course once and for all exposing all the pretenders who are just posting someone else’s stuff, finally they’d be banished for never having had an actual at-bat.
And maybe you’d find there are one or two gems, the very rare Mickey Mantle’s and Joe DiMaggio’s.
Like Seaside Joe.
Take a look at my post about Pete Prisco. I’m thinking the answer is nope, nobody has otherwise how does he still have a job??
https://youtu.be/YBQvt-t6NcA?si=24y1bgAZDtZt7UXv
The Hawks have seemed plenty busy to me so far.
Seaside Joe gives all NFL GMs participation ribbons for 2024 free agency and calls it a day.
I'm a parent with two children in elementary school and I think we can grade GMs like we do seven-year-olds. They are either part of the small handful that are distractions and make everything more difficult for everyone else (Cleveland and Jacksonville come to mind), or they pretty much do what's expected and get along alright.
I agree that unless they play college basketball teams rarely “win in March.” Who does win in March is the NFL which has collectively turned this time of the year into must see TV. Because of trickle down economics, even Seaside Joe gets to pay a few bills too.
Are far as free agency goes - they are treading water. The Seahawks have not lost anyone who in the surface is going to cost wins. Conversely the roster until proven wrong does not look better.
I doubt that the new coaching staff had a lot of input into free agency. They been on the job for about five weeks some less. With that in mind the only decision where I suspect there were substantive decisions was resigning Fant and Williams - decisions for more than 1 year.
The Seahawks are not per se rebuilding but 2024 is definitely tryouts for a lot of players.
When it comes to the offensive line, the Seahawks need one all pro. One of those guys regardless of position makes a huge difference because they can be counted on to erase their man and after that blocking schemes get a lot easier. None of the players available in free agency were that guy. So while I will complain about interior offensive line I realize it is a lot like quarterback the best place to find the difference maker is the draft.