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.”

Continue reading 10-11 spots up for grabs →

CHAWK LINES

September 2, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Kam Chancellor was among those interviewed by precocious 10-year-old Isabella for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” But will he even be there when the Hawks play Green Bay on “SNF” in Week 2?

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report thinks the Hawks will extend Chancellor by a year so they can pay him more this year. That goes against most opinions on the Hawks’ thinking.

Bruce Irvin is conflicted about Chancellor’s holdout: “We need Kam, but Kam deserves his money.”

Irvin also has advice for fellow Seahawks draft gamble Frank Clark.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers said he didn’t think anything about his minor scuffle with Clark last weekend.

Tom Cable said this group of linemen — Russell Okung, Justin Britt, Drew Nowak, J.R. Sweezy, Garry Gilliam — could turn out to be the best he has had. Not sure that would say too much.

Nowak grew up a Packers fan in Wisconsin, so Week 2 in Green Bay will be “surreal.”

The call to Fred Jackson proves the Seahawks clearly still don’t trust Christine Michael as the No. 2 back.

Kevin Norwood is ready to play in Carolina, where he is being coached by one-time Seahawks WR Ricky Proehl.

Contracts

Report: Hawks offer small concession to Kam

September 2, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks reportedly have offered partial guarantees to Kam Chancellor in 2016 and are willing to waive 70 percent of the fines he has accrued while sitting out.

The Hawks also are not even considering trading Chancellor at this point, as they believe he might return after the opener in St. Louis, Davis Hsu of Field Gulls tweeted Tuesday night.

Chancellor has three years left on the five-year, $29 million deal he signed in 2013, and he is unhappy that his 2014 pay will be $4.55 million — even though it is guaranteed and he already has made $12.5 million the past two seasons.

He reportedly wants the Seahawks to pay it forward — turning most of his $4.55 million for this year and $5.1 million for 2016 into a signing bonus.

The Hawks are willing to guarantee some of that $5.1 million, Hsu tweeted.

Continue reading Report: Hawks offer small concession to Kam →

Injury report, State of the team

Jackson a possible fill-in for injured Turbin

September 1, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The reason for Fred Jackson’s visit became clear when Pete Carroll talked to media Tuesday: Robert Turbin suffered a “significant” high ankle sprain in San Diego.

Carroll said he did not know how long Turbin will be out, but it obviously will be a while (short-term IR?).

Carroll said Jackson is in just for a meeting and physical and the team had not yet decided whether to sign him.

“This is a visit for us,” Carroll said. “This isn’t a signing. This is a visit for us. We have tremendous respect for this player. He’s got obviously a wealth of background. He’s tough, he’s smart. He’s sharp. So we need to see where he is right now at 34 years old and see what he looks like. He’s got a big physical coming up today and we’ll talk to him later. But … we have not made that decision at all at this point. We love that he’s here and we are trying to get our ducks in a row for what may be necessary later on.”

Continue reading Jackson a possible fill-in for injured Turbin →

CHAWK LINES

September 1, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Who knew Sept. 1 was Marshawn Lynch Day?

First, “Big Daddy” celebrates by getting “intimate” with Skittles and saying “I do” on TV.

Then we’ve got the NFL announcing that Super Bowl Media Day — otherwise known as “Marshawn Mocks the NFL Day” — will become a prime-time affair. You know the ever talkative Lynch can’t wait.

And, in real football news, Lynch’s buddy from Buffalo, Fred Jackson, reportedly is headed to Seattle to take a physical.

Continue reading →

NFL draft, State of the team, Trades

Another fourth-round flunkout for Schneider

August 31, 2015 cc 1 Comment

John Schneider has been hailed for his ability to find mid-round diamonds in the rough, but his track record in the fourth round certainly hasn’t been responsible for that reputation.

The trade of Kevin Norwood is the latest example. And, if rookie Terry Poole is let go this week as well, Schneider’s Round 4 record will take yet another hit.

Obviously, the fourth round is a bit of a crap shoot, but teams should hit on at least half of those picks. Since Schneider took over the Seahawks in 2010, the league average on successful fourth-rounders has been between 55 and 60 percent (not counting this year, of course).

But the fourth round has been Schneider’s worst — based on typical expectations. In his six drafts, Schneider has selected a league-high 12 players in the fourth. Of the 10 drafted before this year, just four remain — and only two have really done much to help the Hawks.

Continue reading Another fourth-round flunkout for Schneider →

CHAWK LINES

August 30, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Here are some recent takes on Kam Chancellor’s holdout:

Bob Condotta offered up an FAQ explaining the situation.

Andrew Brandt looked at the holdout from both sides.

John Clayton thinks Chancellor will be back next week.

Jason La Canfora said NFL teams are watching closely, hoping Seattle does not blink.

Two agents also told 12th Man Rising that everyone is watching this case.

Meanwhile, Chancellor continues to coach Seattle’s young DBs from afar.

Preseason, State of the team

Expect offensive issues to continue for a while

August 30, 2015 cc 1 Comment

It’s no surprise the Seattle offense looks like two
turtles in a three-legged race — slower than usual,
confused, clumsy and very green. And we expect it to
remain that way for the first few games of the season.

A year ago, the Seahawks returned four starters on the offensive line — their offense was clicking in the preseason and kept on rolling in the season opener against the Packers.

This clearly is not 2014, though. Oft-injured Max Unger and James Carpenter are gone and the Hawks are working in new starters at three line positions. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson has not looked sharp in his preseason action. He has underthrown and overthrown and failed to find receivers when he has had time.

The No. 1 offense has not scored all preseason. And, for the second straight week, Wilson correctly took blame for the offense not moving as well as it should: “Ultimately we have to finish drives. That’s on me.” But he also said he is not concerned it will carry over into the season.

We disagree. And Pete Carroll is getting a bit anxious, too.

Continue reading Expect offensive issues to continue for a while →

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:

Continue reading Preseason status report & projections: offense →

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 →