I'm not going to speak to how other teams make these kind of decisions, but after watching P & J make decisions for 10+ years, what you see on the TV or on the stat sheets are just a part of the picture. KJ alluded on the Brock and Salk show this week that there is a culture/leadership problem on the team, and that Pete, based on comments in press conferences, is exasperated. The guys they keep will be at the cross section of performance and team/culture fit. This is nothing new in theory, and is certainly why they picked Spoon over Jalen Carter (not complaining, but JC is a more talented player at a more crucial position, but Spoon is a *seahawk* (as defined by P&J) and also pretty darn good), and why people like Bellore are still around while producing nothing discernible to the viewer. I think they will keep/pay out on the guys they see as leaders (or at least who are totally bought-in) and cut ties with the rest.
At this point in the 'Hawks trajectory, I think sweeping personnel changes are worth a shot. As much as I like Diggs, he and Adams are both playing nowhere near their salaries. Dissly is being paid like a premier tight end, and playing like a decent blocking tight end you can pick up after the draft. Promising as Noah Fant can look at times, if he's not going to be used as a weapon there's no reason to keep him. Geno can't come back on his current salary and I see no reason that Lock should either. Everyone loves Lockett, but not as much as $17M in cap space. I think each of these are close to no-brainers. Churn, baby, churn like it was 2011.
Pick up a decent journeyman backup QB (or resign Geno for much less), and draft at least one. If they don't resign Leonard Williams, I'll feel about as strongly about that trade as a certain vocal member here did about it. I really wish we had the 2nd rounder the worse our record gets. A premier LB can be found around that spot in the draft, and we need at least one if not two of them. We need guards and a center, or perhaps a tackle to push Lucas inside. We will need two starting caliber players to take the places of our current safeties. D line needs an injection of talent. This is already more openings than we have draft picks. If I were Schneider, I'd be listening to any team that called about trading any player we have for picks.
I like Pete and John but I think they should have seen this coming. We should have known this last year, but overachieved and acted like everything is fine. After landing a playoff spot, I picture them pulling a chair out in the sun, pour themselves a fancy drink served out of a coconut and put on sunglasses (rose colored, naturally). Too many of our starters would be better served as depth pieces, and we are bereft of depth pieces. Both lines have some promising talent, but we see how they stack up against the league's best -poorly. But the cupboards aren't bare and we have some really good skill players and a smattering of linemen on both sides of the ball. But QB and the trenches are about the worst places you can find yourself needing to upgrade in a hurry. Not to mention when you are tight on cap space.
I’m practically to the point where I would welcome a complete collapse. Otherwise, PCJS will do just enough for the team to continue to be just good enough to make change at the top difficult. Thing is, a collapse could happen: It’s becoming increasingly plain that Russell Wilson propped up the vaunted process, which in execution resulted in botched Day 2 drafts, cheapo-cheapo FA signings, and frantic trades at great opportunity cost.
A lot of intelligent looking if very early takes here from SJ. I'm still in my not good feelings about 2023 and not sure how to process them. The disappointments of this season are going to make for a looong offseason.
After last year, our Players were saying "watch out for us next year!" Certainly, they expected to get into the playoffs, but now that is gone, where to they draw the essential sense of identity that binds together a group effort? How can Pete's endless exhortations be taken seriously, if the Guys don't believe? Truth is, this is the turning point. There is no such thing as poor leadership, only the lack of it. Will it turn into a maelstrom of ego and chaos or will the Men step up? I actually feel bad for the Eagles this coming Monday. The guys are mad and disappointed and need to vent. Take that into the next week after Monday Night. Maybe, just maybe, we can spoil our way into a backdoor into the playoffs. If coaching is designing bullshit, call it out. But have your solution. Answer the question you raised. The Players know who can do what. It is not rude to point this out. Listen up, Pete. There are Wild Cards yet to be played. A Blast to be had. Enough with the sulking children impersonations. Let's go Kick Ass, Men. No guarantees exist in real life. All there is, is Try.
That's all well and fine...but how did I miss Mafe being tossed arse over teakettle by Trent Williams? It wouldn't have been so embarrassing except Williams looked like he might've been picking his nose at the same time...
That was my first thought, too...but then, right at the end of the clip you can see Mafe starts looking for his lunch money. And if you watch real, real, close, you can read Williams lips:
"I just figured why you give me so much trouble...I haven't fought one person for so long. I've been specialised in groups, battling gangs for local charities, that kind of thing."
Excellent article. A young QB is a must . We've gone as far as possible with Geno. Let Lock be the bridge or the back up depending on price.
Jake Browning looks much better than both of them. He will be looking for a starting job when Burrows comes back. I really like what I've seen from him.
Brown and Bradford need to be replaced.
Draft and or trades should go QB. Interior Oline. Middle LB. Strong Safety.
With the draft and the new cap space this is doable.
Say goodbye to OC Waldron and DC Hurrt. Hire Quinn as new DC and new HC in.waiting. Any one can't do any worse than Waldron.
I agree with your point, but I have to disagree that Browning looks good. He is a dump-off machine. He is 2-for-6 on passes over 20yds this season. That is the coaches gameplanning for him not to throw downfield.
Quinn signed a multi-year extension with Dallas in 2022. He can’t make a lateral move with permission from the Cowboys. Plus, Quinn turned down HC interviews last year to stay in Dallas. He’s not going anywhere.
Re Waldron, Carroll has fired every OC he has had. Replacing Waldron won’t solve anything.
The NFL would see through the assistant head coach dodge faster than it takes Deebo Samuel to get open against Jamal Adams. Making Waldron a scapegoat could well make things worse because it would put off the day of reckoning with the head coach and GM. There's no point in rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
One needs to have intimate knowledge of every contract and every rule of the league, to predict when it is best to unload contracts. I'm appreciate SSJ sharing his knowledge with us, but ultimately, I don't delve that deeply and assume JS will do his job competently, but as a human, does make mistakes.
I assume some will go like Adams who just seems spent, physically. But generally, I like the way the defensive front has been built. I think we could have a top 10 defensive front 4. And the CB's are the best we have ever had, IMO. Better than the LOB, by far, actually. We never had a decent NCB and our RCB's came and went with regularity. The CB room we have right now are creating coverage sacks already, though the LB's and Safeties get burnt a lot. Tre Brown, Witherspoon, and Woolen with Jackson as the first backup is a good group that could become elite.
And, though everyone thinks we need to replace Adams and Diggs with draft picks, I believe we could have improvements on the team right now. Jerrick Reed II, and Ty Okada just need to be given the chance to play and prove themselves. Okada is always overlooked, but his play in the preseason was impressive to me. He's faster than Diggs. He hits hard. Same with Reed. He's a hitter. That is what characterized the LOB, the BOOM. Kam brought the boom, and our free safety and Sherman got good with practice, too. Spoon has that character. Brown has that character. Woolen needs to learn to be a good tackler. Okada and Reed, with draft picks to compete.
On offense, we should offer DK Metcalf, and two #1 picks for the rights to Caleb Williams. Why screw around. Get the best.
Stephen I’m reccing this because I LOVE strong opinions.
I really like our 3 cornerbacks. Heck I LOVE Witherspoon. But in my opinion, to be best, they have a ways to go before they get to LOB. Peak Sherman was the best individual cornerback, maybe ever. (See? I’m all about bold opinions.) Both Browner and Maxwell played well on the other side.
I think our current top 3 of Witherspoon, Woolen and Brown might eventually get there. But I need to see it. Just my (unasked for) 2 cents.
Thanks Rusty. Not the most coherent opinion I have had. As far as LOB, Sherman was the best, and so far unparalleled. But the CB room of the LOB as a whole wasn't the strength of the LOB. It was the safeties and BWags and KJ were eventually included. We need some young safeties and a LB or two. I think we can get there.
Yawn/stretch. The best I hope to see is Drew Lock demanding more targeting in the plays he's given, then goes out and creates something. The coaching lacks imagination, as we have seen all year. It's a fact we have a Team loaded with talent and it is my bet they are frustrated week in/week out. Faced with 'stupid' play-calling, Russ would never-say-die and go out to create something, making everybody look good. How many jobs did "let Russ cook" threaten? Welcome to bureaucracies. But Russ is gone and reality is settling in. Spend these last games unlocking (unLOCKing?) the abilities these guys have before we start in on the same-old/same-old cut and draft.
Geno being released post June-1st is not a good idea, since he has a bonus guarantee at the start of the league year.
As far as I understand, Mone salary becomes guaranteed if he's not removed from the PUP this year.
They need to bring the D-line back. Our current rate of 3 sacks per game is the greatest in Pete's tenure. Of course, there's the Giants game, but still!
I have no doubt whatsoever that Pete will cut Adams and Diggs, and probably Love too. It's one thing to be patient with Tre Flowers, a guy you drafted and hoped would click one day, it's very different with established veterans that should be playing much better and cost a lot. Pete has shown no willingness to keep bad veterans, especially in the back of the defense.
They are three good clear advantages. They were almost exactly the same advantages coming into the last off-season. The make good on them it will require Pete to let "his guys" go and take genuine accountability and recognition of past mistakes. I'll never root against the 'Hawks, but it's why I can live with this bad streak and can handle another loss or two or three to end the season, just to put more life back into the re-build. I love that it's there, I continue to live in fear Petes focus on reaching 9-wins, unwillingness to embrace a rebuild, keeps us in two more years of purgatory.
Dear lord if Bellore makes it through next off-season I really might just peace out on the 2024 season and save my sanity. Adams should be cut for more than just financial reasons. Draft wise it will depend where we end up, and where other teams end up - there are three QB's i'd love to take in Rd 1, two of which should be available in the mid-round range without much worry. There are not any QB's I think will last to Rd 3 that i'd want. That 2025 Superbowl is still in reach for Pete to exit on a high!
I'm not going to speak to how other teams make these kind of decisions, but after watching P & J make decisions for 10+ years, what you see on the TV or on the stat sheets are just a part of the picture. KJ alluded on the Brock and Salk show this week that there is a culture/leadership problem on the team, and that Pete, based on comments in press conferences, is exasperated. The guys they keep will be at the cross section of performance and team/culture fit. This is nothing new in theory, and is certainly why they picked Spoon over Jalen Carter (not complaining, but JC is a more talented player at a more crucial position, but Spoon is a *seahawk* (as defined by P&J) and also pretty darn good), and why people like Bellore are still around while producing nothing discernible to the viewer. I think they will keep/pay out on the guys they see as leaders (or at least who are totally bought-in) and cut ties with the rest.
At this point in the 'Hawks trajectory, I think sweeping personnel changes are worth a shot. As much as I like Diggs, he and Adams are both playing nowhere near their salaries. Dissly is being paid like a premier tight end, and playing like a decent blocking tight end you can pick up after the draft. Promising as Noah Fant can look at times, if he's not going to be used as a weapon there's no reason to keep him. Geno can't come back on his current salary and I see no reason that Lock should either. Everyone loves Lockett, but not as much as $17M in cap space. I think each of these are close to no-brainers. Churn, baby, churn like it was 2011.
Pick up a decent journeyman backup QB (or resign Geno for much less), and draft at least one. If they don't resign Leonard Williams, I'll feel about as strongly about that trade as a certain vocal member here did about it. I really wish we had the 2nd rounder the worse our record gets. A premier LB can be found around that spot in the draft, and we need at least one if not two of them. We need guards and a center, or perhaps a tackle to push Lucas inside. We will need two starting caliber players to take the places of our current safeties. D line needs an injection of talent. This is already more openings than we have draft picks. If I were Schneider, I'd be listening to any team that called about trading any player we have for picks.
I like Pete and John but I think they should have seen this coming. We should have known this last year, but overachieved and acted like everything is fine. After landing a playoff spot, I picture them pulling a chair out in the sun, pour themselves a fancy drink served out of a coconut and put on sunglasses (rose colored, naturally). Too many of our starters would be better served as depth pieces, and we are bereft of depth pieces. Both lines have some promising talent, but we see how they stack up against the league's best -poorly. But the cupboards aren't bare and we have some really good skill players and a smattering of linemen on both sides of the ball. But QB and the trenches are about the worst places you can find yourself needing to upgrade in a hurry. Not to mention when you are tight on cap space.
I’m practically to the point where I would welcome a complete collapse. Otherwise, PCJS will do just enough for the team to continue to be just good enough to make change at the top difficult. Thing is, a collapse could happen: It’s becoming increasingly plain that Russell Wilson propped up the vaunted process, which in execution resulted in botched Day 2 drafts, cheapo-cheapo FA signings, and frantic trades at great opportunity cost.
A lot of intelligent looking if very early takes here from SJ. I'm still in my not good feelings about 2023 and not sure how to process them. The disappointments of this season are going to make for a looong offseason.
After last year, our Players were saying "watch out for us next year!" Certainly, they expected to get into the playoffs, but now that is gone, where to they draw the essential sense of identity that binds together a group effort? How can Pete's endless exhortations be taken seriously, if the Guys don't believe? Truth is, this is the turning point. There is no such thing as poor leadership, only the lack of it. Will it turn into a maelstrom of ego and chaos or will the Men step up? I actually feel bad for the Eagles this coming Monday. The guys are mad and disappointed and need to vent. Take that into the next week after Monday Night. Maybe, just maybe, we can spoil our way into a backdoor into the playoffs. If coaching is designing bullshit, call it out. But have your solution. Answer the question you raised. The Players know who can do what. It is not rude to point this out. Listen up, Pete. There are Wild Cards yet to be played. A Blast to be had. Enough with the sulking children impersonations. Let's go Kick Ass, Men. No guarantees exist in real life. All there is, is Try.
Man we're way more hosed than SF on talent and cap. Gonna be a rough few years even if everything goes right
That's all well and fine...but how did I miss Mafe being tossed arse over teakettle by Trent Williams? It wouldn't have been so embarrassing except Williams looked like he might've been picking his nose at the same time...
Mafe was just showing off his acrobatic skills after distracting Trent Williams long enough to allow his new buddy to get a sack. Brilliant play!
That was my first thought, too...but then, right at the end of the clip you can see Mafe starts looking for his lunch money. And if you watch real, real, close, you can read Williams lips:
"I just figured why you give me so much trouble...I haven't fought one person for so long. I've been specialised in groups, battling gangs for local charities, that kind of thing."
Excellent article. A young QB is a must . We've gone as far as possible with Geno. Let Lock be the bridge or the back up depending on price.
Jake Browning looks much better than both of them. He will be looking for a starting job when Burrows comes back. I really like what I've seen from him.
Brown and Bradford need to be replaced.
Draft and or trades should go QB. Interior Oline. Middle LB. Strong Safety.
With the draft and the new cap space this is doable.
Say goodbye to OC Waldron and DC Hurrt. Hire Quinn as new DC and new HC in.waiting. Any one can't do any worse than Waldron.
I agree with your point, but I have to disagree that Browning looks good. He is a dump-off machine. He is 2-for-6 on passes over 20yds this season. That is the coaches gameplanning for him not to throw downfield.
Quinn signed a multi-year extension with Dallas in 2022. He can’t make a lateral move with permission from the Cowboys. Plus, Quinn turned down HC interviews last year to stay in Dallas. He’s not going anywhere.
Re Waldron, Carroll has fired every OC he has had. Replacing Waldron won’t solve anything.
Firing Waldron can't hurt.Make Quinn assistant Head Coach .
The NFL would see through the assistant head coach dodge faster than it takes Deebo Samuel to get open against Jamal Adams. Making Waldron a scapegoat could well make things worse because it would put off the day of reckoning with the head coach and GM. There's no point in rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
One needs to have intimate knowledge of every contract and every rule of the league, to predict when it is best to unload contracts. I'm appreciate SSJ sharing his knowledge with us, but ultimately, I don't delve that deeply and assume JS will do his job competently, but as a human, does make mistakes.
I assume some will go like Adams who just seems spent, physically. But generally, I like the way the defensive front has been built. I think we could have a top 10 defensive front 4. And the CB's are the best we have ever had, IMO. Better than the LOB, by far, actually. We never had a decent NCB and our RCB's came and went with regularity. The CB room we have right now are creating coverage sacks already, though the LB's and Safeties get burnt a lot. Tre Brown, Witherspoon, and Woolen with Jackson as the first backup is a good group that could become elite.
And, though everyone thinks we need to replace Adams and Diggs with draft picks, I believe we could have improvements on the team right now. Jerrick Reed II, and Ty Okada just need to be given the chance to play and prove themselves. Okada is always overlooked, but his play in the preseason was impressive to me. He's faster than Diggs. He hits hard. Same with Reed. He's a hitter. That is what characterized the LOB, the BOOM. Kam brought the boom, and our free safety and Sherman got good with practice, too. Spoon has that character. Brown has that character. Woolen needs to learn to be a good tackler. Okada and Reed, with draft picks to compete.
On offense, we should offer DK Metcalf, and two #1 picks for the rights to Caleb Williams. Why screw around. Get the best.
You didn’t like Walter Thurmond?
Stephen I’m reccing this because I LOVE strong opinions.
I really like our 3 cornerbacks. Heck I LOVE Witherspoon. But in my opinion, to be best, they have a ways to go before they get to LOB. Peak Sherman was the best individual cornerback, maybe ever. (See? I’m all about bold opinions.) Both Browner and Maxwell played well on the other side.
I think our current top 3 of Witherspoon, Woolen and Brown might eventually get there. But I need to see it. Just my (unasked for) 2 cents.
Thanks Rusty. Not the most coherent opinion I have had. As far as LOB, Sherman was the best, and so far unparalleled. But the CB room of the LOB as a whole wasn't the strength of the LOB. It was the safeties and BWags and KJ were eventually included. We need some young safeties and a LB or two. I think we can get there.
Yawn/stretch. The best I hope to see is Drew Lock demanding more targeting in the plays he's given, then goes out and creates something. The coaching lacks imagination, as we have seen all year. It's a fact we have a Team loaded with talent and it is my bet they are frustrated week in/week out. Faced with 'stupid' play-calling, Russ would never-say-die and go out to create something, making everybody look good. How many jobs did "let Russ cook" threaten? Welcome to bureaucracies. But Russ is gone and reality is settling in. Spend these last games unlocking (unLOCKing?) the abilities these guys have before we start in on the same-old/same-old cut and draft.
Geno being released post June-1st is not a good idea, since he has a bonus guarantee at the start of the league year.
As far as I understand, Mone salary becomes guaranteed if he's not removed from the PUP this year.
They need to bring the D-line back. Our current rate of 3 sacks per game is the greatest in Pete's tenure. Of course, there's the Giants game, but still!
I have no doubt whatsoever that Pete will cut Adams and Diggs, and probably Love too. It's one thing to be patient with Tre Flowers, a guy you drafted and hoped would click one day, it's very different with established veterans that should be playing much better and cost a lot. Pete has shown no willingness to keep bad veterans, especially in the back of the defense.
They are three good clear advantages. They were almost exactly the same advantages coming into the last off-season. The make good on them it will require Pete to let "his guys" go and take genuine accountability and recognition of past mistakes. I'll never root against the 'Hawks, but it's why I can live with this bad streak and can handle another loss or two or three to end the season, just to put more life back into the re-build. I love that it's there, I continue to live in fear Petes focus on reaching 9-wins, unwillingness to embrace a rebuild, keeps us in two more years of purgatory.
Dear lord if Bellore makes it through next off-season I really might just peace out on the 2024 season and save my sanity. Adams should be cut for more than just financial reasons. Draft wise it will depend where we end up, and where other teams end up - there are three QB's i'd love to take in Rd 1, two of which should be available in the mid-round range without much worry. There are not any QB's I think will last to Rd 3 that i'd want. That 2025 Superbowl is still in reach for Pete to exit on a high!