It's bigger than football

It’s a high bar, but Dunbar drama tops all in Carroll era

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The Seahawks have been NFL drama queens almost from the start of the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era, so it’s never that surprising when some crazy news comes along.

But nothing ever done by the likes of rogues Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett or chuckleheads Leroy Hill, Percy Harvin, John Moffitt or Malik McDowell could top the situation Quinton Dunbar finds himself in.

Dunbar’s case (alleged robbery) is still working through the system, with conflicting reports (by the same people) of whether Dunbar was involved. We’ll keep following it and see how it turns out, but it certainly is one of the crazier crime stories ever related to the Seahawks. And they have had a few.

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NFL draft, The roster

Cheap Hawks swapped Thomas & Clark for 3 pass rushers and a guard

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Draft logo 2020Once upon a time, the Seahawks had the NFL’s top-paid players (or close to it) at three defensive positions, along with the No. 2-paid quarterback.

In 2019, they made Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner the league’s top-paid QB and middle linebacker — but they have not been interested in paying anyone else in that stratosphere since 2017, when they gave Kam Chancellor another top-three deal.

They didn’t want to pay Earl Thomas and Frank Clark in 2019, and they don’t want to pay Jadeveon Clowney this year.

Basically, they don’t want to pay elite pass rushers. So they used Thomas and Clark to draft a few. And, like it or not, they are counting on those swaps to work out.

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It's bigger than football, OTAs

Peter King: A peek at Seattle’s virtual OTAs

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Here’s a look at one of the Seahawks’ virtual offseason meetings, courtesy of Peter King.

This spring, the NFL allows two hours of classroom work virtually for veteran players four days per week. The Seahawks as a team meet from 10 a.m. to noon PT four days a week, usually starting with a short team meeting and breaking down into smaller groups—the offense for some play installations, then maybe just the quarterback, tight ends and receivers, and then the tight ends, via video conference. The two-hour session is tightly controlled by director of team operations Matt Capurro, who flashes “time remaining” alerts on the screen as the last half-hour of the session winds down.

Virtual TE meeting
(Clockwise from top left) passing game coordinator Dave Canales, Greg Olsen, TE coach Pat McPherson, Will Dissly, Luke Willson, Jacob Hollister, Justin Johnson.

The scene: Seattle’s tight-end room, with two coaches and five veterans, stretches over three time zones and five states, connected by Zoom videoconference.

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X's & O's

Hawks gonna let Russ cook two-minute meals?

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Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson plan to be clapping about their offense a lot this season (Getty Images)“Let Russ cook” has become an annoying mantra repeated by some fans the last couple of years.

It’s a nebulous decree. For some, it is a call for Seattle to just throw the ball 40 times a game. For the smarter ones, it is a more nuanced request for the Seahawks to let Russell Wilson stir the pot in his own special way, especially earlier in games.

At the Pro Bowl in February, Wilson said he was all in favor of the latter. He talked about going up-tempo more — something we have constantly called for in the first half, especially. He also apparently has discussed this with Pete Carroll.

Don’t get too excited, cooking fans, but it sounds like the coach might have listened, based on staff moves he made and a report that Seattle is indeed talking about letting Wilson work up some two-minute meals.

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Schedule

Hawks set up for 10-11 wins, with division games the wild cards

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2020 scheduleThe Seahawks’ hopes of getting home field – the easiest way to the Super Bowl – will rely on winning early, surviving the middle and staying healthy at the end.

The schedule looks like it adds up to 10 or 11 wins, assuming the Seahawks improve their pass rush and their remade offensive line doesn’t get off to a terrible start.

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Free agency

If no better offers, Clowney still open to Seattle return

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Logo -- Free agencyWhile it certainly may seem like Jadeveon Clowney and the Seahawks are not destined to get back together, they both have left the door cracked open for a reunion.

In an interview with FOX26 Houston, Clowney said, “I loved Seattle when I was there this past year. … I hope we can work something out.”

But make no mistake: Clowney is patiently waiting for a better offer and Seattle seems unlikely to pay what he wants.

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The roster

Offensive line shakeup comes at a bad time

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Draft logo 2020After the 2019 season ended, Pete Carroll said he wanted to keep his offensive line together.

“It is important,’’ Carroll said. “I hope we can keep our guys connected. I don’t want to see a big change there.’’

Well, that plan obviously changed: The Seahawks will have three, perhaps four, new starters in 2020. Only three other teams in the NFL apparently will undergo that much change up front. It’s a tough year to do that, too — with a pandemic impacting preparation time.

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NFL draft, The roster

Redrawn lines: The state of Seattle’s roster

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Draft logo 2020“We’re trying to win the Super Bowl over here. We don’t play (around). We’re trying to make it happen this year.”– Russell Wilson to rookie OG Damien Lewis

Russell Wilson wanted “superstars” this offseason. He wanted Jadeveon Clowney to return. And he obviously wants to get back to the Super Bowl.

What he has gotten is one aging star (Greg Olsen) and no Clowney (to this point), but the Hawks have revamped both lines in an effort to help Wilson lead them back to the NFL title game.

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It's bigger than football, NFL draft

Carroll: Prep time ‘gonna be a very big issue’

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Draft logo 2020After a virtual draft dictated by mandated social distancing during this pandemic, Pete Carroll and John Schneider said they wanted to add mature, experienced players who can learn quickly and will require less time than most to prepare for the NFL.

As Schneider said, “It’s been important for us to try to acquire players that seem to be a little bit ahead of the curve from a learning standpoint in this current environment that we’re in.”

That naturally leads to the next question: Just how little time will they have to prepare for the season? And how much time do they need?

“That’s gonna be a very big issue,” Carroll said.

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NFL draft, The roster

Rookies are not ousting Wright, other key vets

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Draft logo 2020(UPDATE: Justin Britt and D.J. Fluker were cut after this was posted.)

In the wake of the draft, and with most of us thinking Seattle still should sign a star pass rusher, there’s a lot of fan chatter about vets who might/should be cut.

Justin Britt makes sense, as we have said, because B.J. Finney looks like the new center. But some fans want Seattle to ditch K.J. Wright, Bradley McDougald, D.J. Fluker and Jacob Hollister.

Yeah, by all means, let’s cut some of the most dependable veterans and try to contend for a Super Bowl with rookies instead. Brilliant strategy!

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