I really like your personal stuff as a metaphorical start to proceedings, don’t think you’ve missed the target on one yet, it’s just been great writing.
You may have already done this so apologies if so, but given we get the Broncos first rounder/Wilson interest how do you see the AFC West playing out?
Also, who are best position groups in the NFC West? Maybe even construct a starting O and D from the four NFCW teams.
You have written about this in the past as I recall, but I think the transition from college to the NFL is really fascinating. The fact that so many talented individuals are playing college football in vastly different systems, for coaches with different program goals, and against different levels of competition has to make player evaluation so difficult for GMs and scouting staff. The combine puts so much emphasis on a players physical abilities and is so hyped by the media that it seems to outweigh other evaluation methods that may be more important. Travon Walker and Christian Watson could be just our latest example of this. Are there some positions where physical/athletic testing are more important than others? Is a good combine really more important for OBLs and WRs than for OL and QBs, or is this just a popular narrative that has been accepted by the NFL media?
Maybe sort of related, but maybe completely unrelated; isn't Aaron Curry and interesting story? I just came across his name the other day as a member of the Seahawks coaching staff. How did he go from closest-thing-to-a-sure-thing draft pick, to first round bust, to whatever happened next, to Seahawks coach?
I find it interesting some knock Carroll for being too run first, defensive minded for his own good. Therefore, he's a dinosaur. But both LAR and SF are doing the same thing; it's just they have coaches that have become more innovative (even though Pete owns Shanny, which, I'm sure McVey rides him about when they're joking around about it all).
But this is a great question because it asks how good the Hawks will be. If they're defense is getting to the QB and causing turnovers, which is Carroll's scheme, the offense can have Lock throwing to keep the D honest while Penny and Walker go off in the running game. That can be a very successful team.
The talk about Carroll is agism spelling oops age ism. Running the ball a lot is the NFC West. Pete has been in Seattle for a long time, thus we have seen all of his mistakes. As far as I am concerned the good out weighs the bad by a long way. The culture he has built, the players have always been well spoken and smart. I dont mean that in an English grammer way, i mean in enthusiasm and politeness. Almost to a man they all love playing in Seattle. His message may get old for some of the more outspoken, or arrogant. Truthfully he shows consistency. Also he and John treat the players well, or as well as you can when 3 years is the average career. I did not want Russell to be traded, but now I am excited, this could cement Pete's Hall of Fame credentials over the next two to 3 years. Get DK signed before camp if DKs agent plays ball.
I like your focus on rookies. I'd enjoy an evaluation of some of the younger players on the team too. Brooks, as an example. How is their development going, what do you see as areas in which they excel and those they need to work on. How the new defensive scheme will impact those on defense and how a new QB and offense will impact those on that side of the line.
As for non-football stuff, I'm open to your posting whatever interests you. If it interests me too, I comment. If not, I skip over it. Obviously, we come here primarily for your football insights and expertise but you're a human being who's about much more than that. Getting to know you makes this site more (not less) interesting. Perhaps others see things differently, but I'm a fan of disclosure. Particularly when someone has the courage to be vulnerable and share about the things that challenge them. Then we get to see one's humanity, which allows us to relate (since we all struggle and grapple with life at times).
Why does this team wait until late in the summer to resign players? It seems to be a strategy that simply lets the market go up while they wait.
Where did all the 2023 cap space go? I know Diggs has over $18M of it, but after Russ was off the books I thought we were going to be so flush with cash we could make some great splashes in free agency.
If you were in charge of Vegas odds, what kind of number would you put on Lock/Smith being our starter week 1?
And as for your accounts on Twitter that stick to sports; I'm not aware of many that aren't big industry names. All the regular people seem to think we are all dying to know their political beliefs and hot food takes. I look forward to picking up some to follow from other readers, though.
Great point not only does it get more expensive but nowadays it causes sit inside. If I were Seattle I would sign DK now and for go any bad feelings or frustrations which are sure to arise. DK has the same agent as AJ Brown I don't think we would need to pay very much more, maybe $3 million garunteed. In the end sometimes it's the player, but this year of all years we need DK working with our quarterbacks
An UDFAs rookie review might be nice. There was some Shamarious Gilmore stuff that drew interest. Lewis and Elbey were both interesting, but I think the Hawks jettisoned them because they didn't want distractions any more than there already is.
I think a geeky article how the practice squad and call ups might be of interest. Seems there's some dynamics there that might help understand the movement. I don't think it's as restrictive as baseball seems to be.
I suppose maybe Brian Bosworth was the most anticipated Seahawk rookie.
Wilson the most surprising--because he captured the QB spot.
And maybe Wagner the most unheralded.
An interesting article might be the most drafted colleges for the Hawks. I don't recall a ton of "THE Ohio State University guys." (Joey Galloway comes to mind.)
We've done pretty well drafted out of the South. That could be fun.
Let's say you accepted a long-term assignment to cover a team you've never heard of, in a city you've never been to, competing in a sport you know nothing about. Your first article is due in 2 weeks. How would you approach it, and what would you write about?
If you had the opportunity to make a (somewhat realistic) trade or free agent signing with the goal of making the Seahawks better, what would it be and why?
Additionally, imagine you are Pete Carroll and you wholeheartedly believe in making the Seahawks as competitive for this upcoming season as possible. Given the previous scenario, who would you sign/trade for and why?
How do some of the general managers keep their jobs? 2 teams are currently paying 2 players approximately $20 million for not playing. It happened but how competent can the decision makers be? How many players that are planning on being on NFL teams this year are making that much?
How is it that the Seahawks season is being written off by a high percentage of “experts” because of uncertainty from the quarterback position, but, the 49er’s are favored to challenge for the championship with a quarterback with hardly any game experience over the last 2 years.
Just wondering if you know and how much you know. What have been the past results of teams that go through a transition similar to what the Seahawks are doing in terms of dumping an all-pro quarterback still in his prime. One recent example I can think of is Detroit, it has not worked out to well for them, but then again they are Detroit. Maybe you can refer me to something you have already written on this subject or it could be a future article.
Hard to say if Russell is still in his prime. His weaknesses have been figured out by switched-on DCs, and his lack of scrambling ability is causing him to take drive-killing sacks. Maybe they can do something with him in Denver, but without a killer run game he is not the same player.
I’ll be interested to see what level of drop-off we actually see in QB play. I think we may have to get used to seeing longer drives - and likely not many that are successful - as the short and intermediate passes replace the roulette quarterbacking of beautiful moonballs interspersed between the myriad three-and-outs.
With a delete option we may not have known what you were thinking. I would enjoy less 3 and outs with more short passes, myself. Watching on TV, it was hard to see what was going on in the middle of the field with all the legacy building moonshots being tossed into double coverages for no gains
Thanks Russ, didn’t want the comment to look out of place in an ideas thread.
Totally agree on that. I’d like to see some analysis/speculation of whether Wilson’s inability to use the short middle is due to his shortcomings or simply the risk element i.e. the ‘protect the ball’ mantra he has had drilled into him from day 1 in the pros(
I could be wrong but I truly believe that's due to his height. Drew Brees was 1.5" taller if memory serves and that seems to be just enough to not need an open passing lane. Russ never liked throwing over his linemen unless it was a moon ball. He's a great QB and makes up for it in other areas but man, the heat map of his passes are pretty damning.
Excuse my ignorance about the realism of video games such as Madden, etc. but knowing that there are aviation video games AND very realistic full size flight simulators; are there any instances of any teams using full size, full function football defense simulators that could be used to train QBs in the recognition of a defense being used against them and the speeding up of their selection of a receiver target. Seems like that would be helpful in curing Lock’s biggest problems =>
1/ Why in the world did he do that. 2/ Interceptions
That sounds like a great idea, perhaps you can be the one to enlighten the NFL. I do not believe they use a simulator but the bennifits to recognizing coverage changes after the snap could prove invaluable.
I would like to know why the Seahawks restructured Shelby Harris's contract to free up $3million plus for this season. I don't think it would help to sign DK. I skimmed free agents and there are a few reasonable players but they are in positions that we are going younger. Surley Brian Mone contract didn't free this or did it. Will the Seahawks play the cash over cap game next year, like the Rams, Saints and so many others. On the same line it always looks like next year Seattle will have $80 million to spend on free agents, but always turns out to be $50 Million and most of it goes to signing our own players ? That's a lot I know.
I really like your personal stuff as a metaphorical start to proceedings, don’t think you’ve missed the target on one yet, it’s just been great writing.
You may have already done this so apologies if so, but given we get the Broncos first rounder/Wilson interest how do you see the AFC West playing out?
Also, who are best position groups in the NFC West? Maybe even construct a starting O and D from the four NFCW teams.
You have written about this in the past as I recall, but I think the transition from college to the NFL is really fascinating. The fact that so many talented individuals are playing college football in vastly different systems, for coaches with different program goals, and against different levels of competition has to make player evaluation so difficult for GMs and scouting staff. The combine puts so much emphasis on a players physical abilities and is so hyped by the media that it seems to outweigh other evaluation methods that may be more important. Travon Walker and Christian Watson could be just our latest example of this. Are there some positions where physical/athletic testing are more important than others? Is a good combine really more important for OBLs and WRs than for OL and QBs, or is this just a popular narrative that has been accepted by the NFL media?
Maybe sort of related, but maybe completely unrelated; isn't Aaron Curry and interesting story? I just came across his name the other day as a member of the Seahawks coaching staff. How did he go from closest-thing-to-a-sure-thing draft pick, to first round bust, to whatever happened next, to Seahawks coach?
With all of the defensive coaching changes, the scheme changes, etc - how good do you expect our defense to be?
I find it interesting some knock Carroll for being too run first, defensive minded for his own good. Therefore, he's a dinosaur. But both LAR and SF are doing the same thing; it's just they have coaches that have become more innovative (even though Pete owns Shanny, which, I'm sure McVey rides him about when they're joking around about it all).
But this is a great question because it asks how good the Hawks will be. If they're defense is getting to the QB and causing turnovers, which is Carroll's scheme, the offense can have Lock throwing to keep the D honest while Penny and Walker go off in the running game. That can be a very successful team.
The talk about Carroll is agism spelling oops age ism. Running the ball a lot is the NFC West. Pete has been in Seattle for a long time, thus we have seen all of his mistakes. As far as I am concerned the good out weighs the bad by a long way. The culture he has built, the players have always been well spoken and smart. I dont mean that in an English grammer way, i mean in enthusiasm and politeness. Almost to a man they all love playing in Seattle. His message may get old for some of the more outspoken, or arrogant. Truthfully he shows consistency. Also he and John treat the players well, or as well as you can when 3 years is the average career. I did not want Russell to be traded, but now I am excited, this could cement Pete's Hall of Fame credentials over the next two to 3 years. Get DK signed before camp if DKs agent plays ball.
I like your focus on rookies. I'd enjoy an evaluation of some of the younger players on the team too. Brooks, as an example. How is their development going, what do you see as areas in which they excel and those they need to work on. How the new defensive scheme will impact those on defense and how a new QB and offense will impact those on that side of the line.
As for non-football stuff, I'm open to your posting whatever interests you. If it interests me too, I comment. If not, I skip over it. Obviously, we come here primarily for your football insights and expertise but you're a human being who's about much more than that. Getting to know you makes this site more (not less) interesting. Perhaps others see things differently, but I'm a fan of disclosure. Particularly when someone has the courage to be vulnerable and share about the things that challenge them. Then we get to see one's humanity, which allows us to relate (since we all struggle and grapple with life at times).
Why does this team wait until late in the summer to resign players? It seems to be a strategy that simply lets the market go up while they wait.
Where did all the 2023 cap space go? I know Diggs has over $18M of it, but after Russ was off the books I thought we were going to be so flush with cash we could make some great splashes in free agency.
If you were in charge of Vegas odds, what kind of number would you put on Lock/Smith being our starter week 1?
And as for your accounts on Twitter that stick to sports; I'm not aware of many that aren't big industry names. All the regular people seem to think we are all dying to know their political beliefs and hot food takes. I look forward to picking up some to follow from other readers, though.
Cheers and thanks for this!
Great point not only does it get more expensive but nowadays it causes sit inside. If I were Seattle I would sign DK now and for go any bad feelings or frustrations which are sure to arise. DK has the same agent as AJ Brown I don't think we would need to pay very much more, maybe $3 million garunteed. In the end sometimes it's the player, but this year of all years we need DK working with our quarterbacks
An UDFAs rookie review might be nice. There was some Shamarious Gilmore stuff that drew interest. Lewis and Elbey were both interesting, but I think the Hawks jettisoned them because they didn't want distractions any more than there already is.
I think a geeky article how the practice squad and call ups might be of interest. Seems there's some dynamics there that might help understand the movement. I don't think it's as restrictive as baseball seems to be.
I suppose maybe Brian Bosworth was the most anticipated Seahawk rookie.
Wilson the most surprising--because he captured the QB spot.
And maybe Wagner the most unheralded.
An interesting article might be the most drafted colleges for the Hawks. I don't recall a ton of "THE Ohio State University guys." (Joey Galloway comes to mind.)
We've done pretty well drafted out of the South. That could be fun.
Thanks for asking.
Let's say you accepted a long-term assignment to cover a team you've never heard of, in a city you've never been to, competing in a sport you know nothing about. Your first article is due in 2 weeks. How would you approach it, and what would you write about?
If you had the opportunity to make a (somewhat realistic) trade or free agent signing with the goal of making the Seahawks better, what would it be and why?
Additionally, imagine you are Pete Carroll and you wholeheartedly believe in making the Seahawks as competitive for this upcoming season as possible. Given the previous scenario, who would you sign/trade for and why?
Thanks for doing this!
I have a couple things I wonder about.
How do some of the general managers keep their jobs? 2 teams are currently paying 2 players approximately $20 million for not playing. It happened but how competent can the decision makers be? How many players that are planning on being on NFL teams this year are making that much?
How is it that the Seahawks season is being written off by a high percentage of “experts” because of uncertainty from the quarterback position, but, the 49er’s are favored to challenge for the championship with a quarterback with hardly any game experience over the last 2 years.
Just wondering if you know and how much you know. What have been the past results of teams that go through a transition similar to what the Seahawks are doing in terms of dumping an all-pro quarterback still in his prime. One recent example I can think of is Detroit, it has not worked out to well for them, but then again they are Detroit. Maybe you can refer me to something you have already written on this subject or it could be a future article.
Hard to say if Russell is still in his prime. His weaknesses have been figured out by switched-on DCs, and his lack of scrambling ability is causing him to take drive-killing sacks. Maybe they can do something with him in Denver, but without a killer run game he is not the same player.
I’ll be interested to see what level of drop-off we actually see in QB play. I think we may have to get used to seeing longer drives - and likely not many that are successful - as the short and intermediate passes replace the roulette quarterbacking of beautiful moonballs interspersed between the myriad three-and-outs.
It will be different, that’s for sure.
Whoops sorry, I lost track of what thread I was on. A delete button would sure be rather handy sometimes....
With a delete option we may not have known what you were thinking. I would enjoy less 3 and outs with more short passes, myself. Watching on TV, it was hard to see what was going on in the middle of the field with all the legacy building moonshots being tossed into double coverages for no gains
Thanks Russ, didn’t want the comment to look out of place in an ideas thread.
Totally agree on that. I’d like to see some analysis/speculation of whether Wilson’s inability to use the short middle is due to his shortcomings or simply the risk element i.e. the ‘protect the ball’ mantra he has had drilled into him from day 1 in the pros(
I could be wrong but I truly believe that's due to his height. Drew Brees was 1.5" taller if memory serves and that seems to be just enough to not need an open passing lane. Russ never liked throwing over his linemen unless it was a moon ball. He's a great QB and makes up for it in other areas but man, the heat map of his passes are pretty damning.
Excuse my ignorance about the realism of video games such as Madden, etc. but knowing that there are aviation video games AND very realistic full size flight simulators; are there any instances of any teams using full size, full function football defense simulators that could be used to train QBs in the recognition of a defense being used against them and the speeding up of their selection of a receiver target. Seems like that would be helpful in curing Lock’s biggest problems =>
1/ Why in the world did he do that. 2/ Interceptions
Comments?
That sounds like a great idea, perhaps you can be the one to enlighten the NFL. I do not believe they use a simulator but the bennifits to recognizing coverage changes after the snap could prove invaluable.
I would like to know why the Seahawks restructured Shelby Harris's contract to free up $3million plus for this season. I don't think it would help to sign DK. I skimmed free agents and there are a few reasonable players but they are in positions that we are going younger. Surley Brian Mone contract didn't free this or did it. Will the Seahawks play the cash over cap game next year, like the Rams, Saints and so many others. On the same line it always looks like next year Seattle will have $80 million to spend on free agents, but always turns out to be $50 Million and most of it goes to signing our own players ? That's a lot I know.