Category Archives: The roster

State of the team, The roster, Week 1: At St. Louis

Carroll gives scouting report on McCray

September 8, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The hot topic on Day 1 of Seattle’s prep for the season opener in St. Louis was the arrival of veterans Fred Jackson and Kelcie McCray.

Pete Carroll was stoked about the 34-year-old Jackson, saying “he’ll play a lot” against the Rams. Carroll really likes the 26-year-old McCray, too, but is not so sure he will be ready to play this week.

The Hawks sent the Chiefs a fifth-round pick for the 6-foot-1, 205-pound player because they didn’t want to go with first-year safeties. McCray, a fourth-year player, joins Earl Thomas, Dion Bailey, DeShawn Shead and Steve Terrell — all but Bailey played for the Hawks during their Super Bowl season last year.

“We’re ready to start Dion and go; he’s ready to play football,” Carroll said. “He had a good preseason and he’s ready to go. We wanted some depth with some experience, and the other kids were going to be first-year guys. We thought we needed a little bit more depth than that with some background.”

Carroll’s scouting report on McCray, as told to 710 ESPN: “Kelcie McCray is a really good-looking football player. He’s a terrific looking athlete. I’ve seen a ton of film on him. He’s active, he’s physical, he’s a featured special teams guy, which is always a good indicator of an overall general football ability of a guy. He’s a hitter. He moves well in space. He’s played strong safety and free safety back and forth. We’ve seen him in all kinds of situations, close to the line of scrimmage and in the middle. He’s very well-versed.”

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State of the team, The roster, Trades

Carroll on trading Michael: ‘We just thought it was time’

September 7, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Pete Carroll said the team thought it was time to give up on Christine Michael, the former second-rounder who was sent to Dallas for a conditional seventh-round pick.

“We spent a lot of time with him. We gave him plenty of opportunities. He’s a good, hard-working kid. … We just thought it was time.”

Carroll said Jackson offers much more experience and in the passing game, catching and blocking. “On this team at this time, it was just the way to go.”

Carroll said Jackson is a “good pass pro” guy and “he’s a terrific catcher. So that part is going to fit in really well.”

“We like Marshawn on third down, but he needs a break now and then,” Carroll said. “I like to have a real steady guy going in. Without Turbo available to us, he was the steady guy to go in. Christine wasn’t that guy to take that spot, and we didn’t want to put that on Thomas (Rawls) at this point.

“We think that’s going to be a good, solid move and get a real classy guy to add to the locker room.”

The roster, Trades

Another ‘surrender’ deal is Schneider’s 38th trade

September 6, 2015 cc Leave a comment

It was destined to happen.

Christine Michael clearly had not lived up to his second-round draft position, and his roster status had been precarious all year. With Dallas needing running backs, that was an easy formula to complete as far back as March.

Michael’s days seemed numbered all week. First, Fred Jackson came in for a visit, then John Schneider said he was working on some trades, then word came that the Hawks had indeed agreed to a deal with Jackson and were trying to trade Michael.

Of course, getting just a seventh-round pick makes this another “surrender” deal for Schneider. It’s not as bad as the Percy Harvin trade last October — in which the Hawks got a sixth-round pick in return for the guy that cost them a first, third and seventh in 2013.

The Hawks also gave up on receiver Kevin Norwood a week ago, flipping the 2014 fourth-round pick to Carolina for a shot at a seventh in 2017.

In between those three “surrenders” though, Schneider has made some great deals — acquiring Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett.

This deal was Schneider’s fourth of this preseason, the most since he made five preseason deals in 2010.

He has made six trades in total this year, the same number he made last year and the second most since the 13 he made in his first year (2010).

The Seahawks’ 2016 draft now includes 11 projected picks (including four comp picks): a first, second, two thirds (one comp), fourth, fifth (comp), two sixths (one comp) and three sevenths (comp and Michael). They sent their fifth-rounder to Kansas City for safety Kelcie McCray.

Continue reading Another ‘surrender’ deal is Schneider’s 38th trade →

State of the team, The roster, Trades

Hawks keep up the drama

September 6, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Seattle’s two most interesting positions this summer have been running back and the secondary, and the Hawks sure kept the drama rolling with their first cuts to 53 on Saturday.

Among their moves, they placed Robert Turbin on season-ending IR and acquired safety Kelcie McCray from Kansas City.

The Turbin move was a bit of an about-face from the report Friday that the Hawks were set to waive the fourth-year back, who has a high ankle sprain. If they had waived him, they would have risked losing him but also would have had the chance to bring him back. They decided instead just to stash him on IR, meaning he will miss the season. He’s a free agent next year, and this certainly will impact the market for him and probably increase the likelihood that he stays in Seattle.

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The roster, Trades

Blackmon out, Hawks seeking safeties; Giants want Chancellor?

September 5, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Running back is not the only position where the Seahawks are working on multiple moves.

A day after word leaked that the Hawks were signing Fred Jackson, planning to waive Robert Turbin and trying to trade Christine Michael, attention turned to the secondary.

Will Blackmon seemingly indicated that he has been released, and the Seahawks reportedly are checking into acquiring a veteran safety — while fielding calls on Kam Chancellor.

The New York Giants reportedly are the latest team — and first known club — to ask the Hawks about the holdout Pro Bowl safety. But the Hawks still don’t seem inclined yet to trade Chancellor. Nor should they be. There is still time for this to get worked out (i.e., Chancellor to return).

Meanwhile, John Schneider said Thursday that he is talking to a bunch of teams about possible trades, so word that he is checking into the safety market is no surprise.

As for Blackmon, it appears the Hawks prefer their younger, cheaper nickel corners — either Marcus Burley or rookie Tye Smith.

As expected, rookie Keenan Lambert apparently has been waived, too. Lambert is Chancellor’s half-brother.

State of the team, The roster, Trades

Hawks’ RB plans: Replace Turbin with Jackson, trade Michael

September 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks were busy juggling their running back stable Friday, reportedly agreeing on a one-year deal with Fred Jackson while dangling Christine Michael in a trade and planning to waive Robert Turbin for the purpose of putting him on injured reserve.

The Hawks reportedly will waive/injured Turbin, which means he will revert to season-ending IR if no other team claims him. But, he is expected to miss only about five weeks with his high ankle sprain, so some team might be inclined to pick him up. If not, he will miss the season on Seattle’s IR.

The Hawks are taking a little gamble that Turbin will be scooped up — as they did with Michael Bowie (claimed by Cleveland) last year. But, Turbin also is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, so the risk might not be that high. Or the Hawks might not care.

If they had wanted to put him on short-term IR so he could return at midseason, they would have had to keep him as part of the 53-man roster this weekend and wait until next Tuesday to place him on IR/return (which cannot be used until the Tuesday after final cuts are made).

Meanwhile, John Schneider said Thursday that he was busy working the phones for possible trades. He didn’t mention any players, but Jason La Canfora reported Friday that the Hawks were indeed shopping Michael, the 2013 second-round pick who has not really gotten on the field.

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The roster, Trades

Schneider: ‘We’re talking to clubs’ about trades

September 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

John Schneider already has made two trades this preseason, acquiring Mohammed Seisay and sending out Kevin Norwood.

Those were the 11th and 12th trades he has made in the preseason since he arrived in 2010 — and he is looking at possibly making more in the next week.

Before the Seahawks beat Oakland in the final preseason game Thursday, Schneider told Steve Raible the Hawks are talking to other teams about potential deals.

“We have five or six guys we’re concentrating on tonight,” he said, “and comparing those guys to other players that are out there that we’re talking to other teams about.”

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Preseason, The roster

10-11 spots up for grabs

September 3, 2015 cc Leave a comment

As the Seahawks get ready for their final preseason game, at least 22 of them are playing their final game for Seattle.

NFL teams — currently at 75 players — have to get down to 53 by 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Seahawks have about 10-11 spots up for grabs, with almost half of those being hotly contested in the secondary.

Among the DBs, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Cary Williams and DeShawn Shead seem like locks, with Dion Bailey very likely to make it, too.

That leaves — realistically — seven players battling for four or five secondary spots: corners Will Blackmon, Tye Smith, Tharold Simon, Marcus Burley and Mohammed Seisay and safeties Steven Terrell and Ronald “Buck” Martin.

Many assume Blackmon is a lock for the nickel role, but that’s not necessarily true. Burley and Smith can play the role as well, and they are cheaper and under club control for longer than Blackmon.

Pete Carroll said he looks forward to all of the DBs showing what they can do vs. Oakland.

“Guys are going to get significant playing time where they really can get out there on the field,” he said. “It’s going to be a big game for Tharold Simon to show where he is; he had a very good first game. This will be a very big game for Mohammed Seisay to get a chance to play finally; he’s been banged up. Will Blackmon will play a good deal of minutes.

“These guys are going to get some really significant playing time — of course, the safeties, too — so this is a very important game.”

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Preseason, State of the team, The roster

Preseason status report & projections: offense

August 29, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks loved B.J. Daniels so much last year that they paid him 150 percent of the standard rate to keep him on the practice squad.

They called him up at the end of the season as a reward for his hard work on the squad, and now they are giving him every chance to make the team for real this year — as a wide receiver instead of a quarterback.

“The thought was we love him as a football player (so) let’s see if we can find a place where he can make the team and play,” Pete Carroll said. “He wants to get on the 53, so lengthy discussion back and forth really allowed us to get to that thinking: Let’s give it a shot. So he went for it in the offseason, which he needed all of that time just to kind of get acclimated, and we’ve continued on with him. He’s doing a good job and playing well in the games.”

Seattle values versatility as much as any team in the NFL, and Daniels scores points there with his ability to play wide receiver, kick returner and quarterback.

“Yeah, it’s the more you can do,” Carroll said. “That’s a real motto in the league, and he’s an example of it. I love that he covers kickoffs so aggressively too.

“He’s shown a lot of good things, got a lot of natural ability. He’s a very, very competitive kid. We like the heck out of him, and the fact that he can play quarterback is huge. Who else can do that? It’s rare to have a guy like that.”

The Seahawks have to cut the roster from 90 to 75 by Tuesday and then to 53 four days later.

Here’s a look at the offense heading into today’s game in San Diego:

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Preseason, State of the team, The roster

Preseason status report & projections: Defense

August 28, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The secondary is one of the Seahawks’ most competitive spots this summer, but most of the competition has been missing the past week or so thanks to a
legion of boo-boos.

In Kansas City, the Hawks were without seven of their 11 cornerbacks and had only four safeties available. It was so bad that DeShawn Shead moved from safety to start at corner and fifth-round rookie Tye Smith played almost the entire game.

Shead and Smith both took advantage of their chances, drawing praise from coach Pete Carroll after playing tight coverage throughout the game.

Now it’s time for the rest of the corners to get their chances when the Seahawks play the Chargers in San Diego on Saturday night. Richard Sherman, Will Blackmon and Tharold Simon all are expected to play — with Blackmon needing to nail down the nickel job and Simon needing to prove he should be on the team (forget about starting).

Meanwhile, safety Earl Thomas apparently is on track to be ready for the opener in St. Louis on Sept. 13.

“Earl got a lot of work this week. He’s getting ready to be in shape to play for the opener,” Carroll said. “His timing is getting down, his calls, you can see him fitting in, his intensity that he brings is starting to show up. That’s important.”

The Seahawks have to cut the roster from 90 to 75 by Tuesday and then to 53 four days later.

Here’s a look at the defense heading into the third preseason game:

Continue reading Preseason status report & projections: Defense →