I really appreciate your ability to see the seahawks for what they are and to recognize their behavior. So many people, even in the Seattle media, seem to ignore what they've done and go with whatever idea they like best. Writing an article about how your assumptions might be wrong based on the past actions of the team is A+ journalism stuff and why I'm here. Keep up the good work, glad there are at least a few places on the web where long form, well-researched articles that challenge bias are a regular occurance.
Jul 15, 2022·edited Jul 15, 2022Liked by Seaside Joe
Just Say No! - Not to Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll as former First Lady Nancy Reagan advised some of us older readers in our youth...No, I am saying NO to trading Up for a QB in 2023. The Seahawks will suck enough to select from a number of worthy arms in the next draft.
Quick reminder, None of the following were a high draft pick: Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Deshawn Watson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, Aaron Rogers or even the GOAT Tom Brady. Drafting Well is SO much more important than drafting early.
Defensive studs are needed too. Often times DPOY candidates are not early picks. They really Never were day 3 draft steals, either. If we want more primo talent, spend what we have when we have it and do not over spend for a QB. Lazy or anxious franchises do that and they tend to remain early in the draft each and every year.
I submit the Hawks will get the Most out of the 2023 off-season by developing Drew Lock this year. If he indeed turns out to be an eternal back-up, draft a QB where they should be taken. Regardless, draft as many high value picks in each of the places we have the opportunity to do so.
Make the Most of the two firsts, two seconds, and fill out the rest of the draft as best we can. We also need to make the most out of our off-season shopping. Then hit a home run in next April's draft. Then coach 'em up to the point where the Lombardi trophy makes a return trip to the Pacific NW!
I too hope we can catch lightning in a bottle with a 3rd round flyer but we can't ignore that QB is the position that has the biggest impact on wins and losses. We need whomever Pete/Jon fall in love with. If that's a trade-up then so be it.
Dan Marino was #27,* apparently because of rumored drug use. If Marino played today, he’d complete 70% of his passes and might go whole seasons without getting sacked. Joe Montana would later say the Marino was the best QB he played against.
* Behind, in draft order, John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Champagne Tony Eason, and Ken O’Brien. At 21, Marino was the youngest of the group.
I've been thinking about the scenario you went over in the last paragraph - use the top 4 picks next year to continue to build out the roster. There will be so many non-QB holes to fill, unless there is serious improvement and health from the young players.
Edge rusher, CB (edge and slot), non-edge DL, middle-LB, RB, C, G all have room for upgrades. I wouldn't expect another top pick on RB, but basically every position except Safety could use an upgrade and who knows if Adams or Diggs will make it through the season healthy and worth their contracts.
I could see them upgrading everywhere except QB through the draft, go with another season of Lock/Smith/Jimmy (names for bridge QB), and waiting another year. Hopefully, it's a fun year watching the guys on the current roster improve and clear things up going into next off season.
I'll have to do some mock drafts eventually and filling out the roster with 4 picks that aren't QB...no fan could stop themselves from being intrigued by that possibility, I bet.
This will complete the RW trade as 2023's Supreme WR talent and Developmental 'Franchise' QB as well as Shelby Harris, Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker III, plus who-ever we bring in for the $20m or so saved.
BTW - What do you suppose we haul in with our 2023 Free Agent spending money?
i like that list. I probably switch 1a with 1b. If there was a generational center, I'd put that ahead of the WR too. I feel there are good WR options in later rounds because a lot of money will be committed to DK, and hopefully Dee jumps too. I'm also not sleeping on our 7th rounders till we see. Young is underwritin interesting.
I'm for using a second rounder on a QB they really like. We'll know more in the fall who emerges, but there's some good ones.
Great point - heck, not long ago a 'bridge QB' won the Lombardi - Peyton Manning was Not an elite QB anymore in their Championship season. What Denver did have was a championship-worthy Defense to go along with a smart QB who simply did not have the physical tools anymore. Who knows...even our championship season could have been equally successful with a lesser talent than a 2nd year Russell Wilson at QB. As Russ got better, he did not lift the team beyond where the rest of the Hawks' decline was taking them. Rookie Contract QB absolutely IS the Key these days so the rest of the team has as what Marshawn told Deone in that pregame interview "We got a Lot of Dogs"...that's what we need.
Considering how major the contribution was from the LOB in getting the Hawks to the SB twice, this makes sense. I recently watched the YouTube video of all the significant plays in the NFC championship games in 2013 and 2014. The LOB was dominant in why those games were won.
Before the draft, Schneider said that his mentor, Ron Wolf, believed that teams should always draft a QB. JS admitted that he hadn’t done a good job at that since getting Wilson. Then the draft came and he skipped the QB position again. 3D chess.
You were able to articulate what my gut has been feeling for a while. So much of a QB's success is based on scheme, OL play, game-time adjustments, the D's ability to stop the other team, etc. It really is a crapshoot. Positional players with freaky individual athleticism and high football IQ seem like a safer bet when selecting players in the 1st round.
In an alternate universe there’s a Seahawks team of players drafted as BPA rather than need, and I can only imagine it’s a far better roster than our current one.
I don't see the problem. Seattle will use their first pick on Jalen Carter, the Broncos' pick to select Grayson McCall, and their first pick in the second round on Storm Duck. Everybody wins, epecially the Seahawks.
To put 2019 into perspective, they would have done better to draft Mone in the first round than Collier.
BTW, 2019 provides a good illustration of how opportunity costs work. Suppose that, instead of reaching for Collier, they reached for SS Taylor Rapp. Not only do they wind up with a SS good enough to start for a Super Bowl, they (a) don’t blow a #47 by reaching for Marquis Blair (which where they should taken Rapp if the plan was to draft a safety)* and (b) never trade two firsts and a third for Jamal Adams.
In other words, drafting Collier (or Blair) cost two firsts, a second, and a third, not to mention the money used to re-sign Adams. Hindsight, but the kind of hindsight a front office needs to conduct because both Collier and Blair were reaches.
*Rapp was rated higher than Blair, who came out of college with durability concerns.
So we just need Lock/Smith/whoever to be functional, go full bore on D and lean on the run game that should be explosive whether Penny is still spelling Walker or not. That’s sounds like exactly what Pete might do, and I’m perfectly happy with that as its less likely that your entire season isn’t torpedoed if your game manager QB gets injured...
I really appreciate your ability to see the seahawks for what they are and to recognize their behavior. So many people, even in the Seattle media, seem to ignore what they've done and go with whatever idea they like best. Writing an article about how your assumptions might be wrong based on the past actions of the team is A+ journalism stuff and why I'm here. Keep up the good work, glad there are at least a few places on the web where long form, well-researched articles that challenge bias are a regular occurance.
Thank you so much!
Just Say No! - Not to Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll as former First Lady Nancy Reagan advised some of us older readers in our youth...No, I am saying NO to trading Up for a QB in 2023. The Seahawks will suck enough to select from a number of worthy arms in the next draft.
Quick reminder, None of the following were a high draft pick: Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Deshawn Watson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, Aaron Rogers or even the GOAT Tom Brady. Drafting Well is SO much more important than drafting early.
Defensive studs are needed too. Often times DPOY candidates are not early picks. They really Never were day 3 draft steals, either. If we want more primo talent, spend what we have when we have it and do not over spend for a QB. Lazy or anxious franchises do that and they tend to remain early in the draft each and every year.
I submit the Hawks will get the Most out of the 2023 off-season by developing Drew Lock this year. If he indeed turns out to be an eternal back-up, draft a QB where they should be taken. Regardless, draft as many high value picks in each of the places we have the opportunity to do so.
Make the Most of the two firsts, two seconds, and fill out the rest of the draft as best we can. We also need to make the most out of our off-season shopping. Then hit a home run in next April's draft. Then coach 'em up to the point where the Lombardi trophy makes a return trip to the Pacific NW!
Capice?
I too hope we can catch lightning in a bottle with a 3rd round flyer but we can't ignore that QB is the position that has the biggest impact on wins and losses. We need whomever Pete/Jon fall in love with. If that's a trade-up then so be it.
Dan Marino was #27,* apparently because of rumored drug use. If Marino played today, he’d complete 70% of his passes and might go whole seasons without getting sacked. Joe Montana would later say the Marino was the best QB he played against.
* Behind, in draft order, John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Champagne Tony Eason, and Ken O’Brien. At 21, Marino was the youngest of the group.
I've been thinking about the scenario you went over in the last paragraph - use the top 4 picks next year to continue to build out the roster. There will be so many non-QB holes to fill, unless there is serious improvement and health from the young players.
Edge rusher, CB (edge and slot), non-edge DL, middle-LB, RB, C, G all have room for upgrades. I wouldn't expect another top pick on RB, but basically every position except Safety could use an upgrade and who knows if Adams or Diggs will make it through the season healthy and worth their contracts.
I could see them upgrading everywhere except QB through the draft, go with another season of Lock/Smith/Jimmy (names for bridge QB), and waiting another year. Hopefully, it's a fun year watching the guys on the current roster improve and clear things up going into next off season.
I'll have to do some mock drafts eventually and filling out the roster with 4 picks that aren't QB...no fan could stop themselves from being intrigued by that possibility, I bet.
What IF - Drew Lock is a Franchise(ish) QB?
How do the Hawks draft in 2023?
1a) Game Wrecking DT
1b) Supreme WR Talent - eventual Lockett replacement
2a) Edge - pass rushing LB
2b) Developmental QB w/ 'Franchise' upside
3) C/G
4) CB
5) Athletic FREAK
6) SR Bowl surprise
7) SR Bowl small school surprise
This will complete the RW trade as 2023's Supreme WR talent and Developmental 'Franchise' QB as well as Shelby Harris, Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker III, plus who-ever we bring in for the $20m or so saved.
BTW - What do you suppose we haul in with our 2023 Free Agent spending money?
i like that list. I probably switch 1a with 1b. If there was a generational center, I'd put that ahead of the WR too. I feel there are good WR options in later rounds because a lot of money will be committed to DK, and hopefully Dee jumps too. I'm also not sleeping on our 7th rounders till we see. Young is underwritin interesting.
I'm for using a second rounder on a QB they really like. We'll know more in the fall who emerges, but there's some good ones.
Great point - heck, not long ago a 'bridge QB' won the Lombardi - Peyton Manning was Not an elite QB anymore in their Championship season. What Denver did have was a championship-worthy Defense to go along with a smart QB who simply did not have the physical tools anymore. Who knows...even our championship season could have been equally successful with a lesser talent than a 2nd year Russell Wilson at QB. As Russ got better, he did not lift the team beyond where the rest of the Hawks' decline was taking them. Rookie Contract QB absolutely IS the Key these days so the rest of the team has as what Marshawn told Deone in that pregame interview "We got a Lot of Dogs"...that's what we need.
Considering how major the contribution was from the LOB in getting the Hawks to the SB twice, this makes sense. I recently watched the YouTube video of all the significant plays in the NFC championship games in 2013 and 2014. The LOB was dominant in why those games were won.
Before the draft, Schneider said that his mentor, Ron Wolf, believed that teams should always draft a QB. JS admitted that he hadn’t done a good job at that since getting Wilson. Then the draft came and he skipped the QB position again. 3D chess.
Short-ish
You were able to articulate what my gut has been feeling for a while. So much of a QB's success is based on scheme, OL play, game-time adjustments, the D's ability to stop the other team, etc. It really is a crapshoot. Positional players with freaky individual athleticism and high football IQ seem like a safer bet when selecting players in the 1st round.
In an alternate universe there’s a Seahawks team of players drafted as BPA rather than need, and I can only imagine it’s a far better roster than our current one.
I don't see the problem. Seattle will use their first pick on Jalen Carter, the Broncos' pick to select Grayson McCall, and their first pick in the second round on Storm Duck. Everybody wins, epecially the Seahawks.
To put 2019 into perspective, they would have done better to draft Mone in the first round than Collier.
BTW, 2019 provides a good illustration of how opportunity costs work. Suppose that, instead of reaching for Collier, they reached for SS Taylor Rapp. Not only do they wind up with a SS good enough to start for a Super Bowl, they (a) don’t blow a #47 by reaching for Marquis Blair (which where they should taken Rapp if the plan was to draft a safety)* and (b) never trade two firsts and a third for Jamal Adams.
In other words, drafting Collier (or Blair) cost two firsts, a second, and a third, not to mention the money used to re-sign Adams. Hindsight, but the kind of hindsight a front office needs to conduct because both Collier and Blair were reaches.
*Rapp was rated higher than Blair, who came out of college with durability concerns.
So we just need Lock/Smith/whoever to be functional, go full bore on D and lean on the run game that should be explosive whether Penny is still spelling Walker or not. That’s sounds like exactly what Pete might do, and I’m perfectly happy with that as its less likely that your entire season isn’t torpedoed if your game manager QB gets injured...