Tag Archives: Brandon Mebane

Schedule

Tough road early, home night games late

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2018 skedThe good news: The Seahawks don’t have to play in Denver and Chicago during the winter. The bad news: They have to open with consecutive road games.

The opener in Denver and the Monday night game in Chicago in Week 2 mark the third time since 2011 the Hawks have started with two straight road games. They opened 0-2 in both 2011 and 2015.

Seattle’s 2018 schedule is weighted toward road games early and home games late: The Seahawks play five of the first seven on the road and four of the final five at home (three in prime time).

They have five prime-time games — four in Seattle, where the Hawks are 17-2 in night games (including playoffs) under Pete Carroll. They are 26-5-1 in prime time overall under Carroll.

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CHAWK LINES
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CHAWK LINES -- Seahawks OTAs & minicamp

Michael Bennett was back for mandatory minicamp and explained why he won’t hold out.

Kam Chancellor is healthy, wealthy (enough) and (finally) wise — not planning a holdout.

Russell Wilson, 27, wants to play at least 15 more years.

Among the notables on Day 2 of the minicamp, per Bob Condotta, were C.J. Prosise, Christine Michael and Douglas McNeil.

J’Marcus Webb returned while Garry Gilliam remained out.

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Contracts, Free agency, State of the team

Hawks at 3-3 in free agency, with Okung remaining

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Russell Okung talks with GM John Schneider during minicamp in June (AP)The Seahawks went 3-3 with their top free agents in the first two days of free agency, and Russell Okung will be the tiebreaker — perhaps on Day 3.

The Hawks gave very good deals to Jeremy Lane ($23 million over four years) and Jermaine Kearse ($13.5 million over three years), which is in line with reports that the Hawks have made competitive offers to their free agents (Bruce Irvin and Brandon Mebane being exceptions). J.R. Sweezy, who signed for $6.5 million a year, said they were in the running, and Seattle reportedly has made a “strong” offer to Okung.

Of course, it might not be strong enough. Okung is off to visit the New York Giants and Detroit Lions. The Giants have spent heavily this week and still have around $20 million in salary cap space left. Detroit has $25 million (numbers via OTC).

The San Francisco 49ers also reportedly are interested, which would seem to indicate they are ready to move on from Joe Staley.

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Contracts, Free agency

2012 picks get paid; Mebane’s tenure ends

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Salary cap logoThe Seahawks had a busy first day of free agency, saying goodbye to three Super Bowl stalwarts, watching their 2012 draft class continue to get paid, retaining another starting defender and celebrating their first Super Bowl quarterback as he retired.

It was no surprise that Bruce Irvin, J.R. Sweezy and Brandon Mebane signed elsewhere (even though we expected Mebane to be back). In fact, the Seahawks already were busy trying to replace Irvin and Mebane as former Hawk Chris Clemons reportedly was coming for a visit and Seattle reportedly showed interest in the Eagles’ Cedric Thornton and the Steelers’ Cam Thomas.

A return by the 34-year-old Clemons would be poetic, since he mentored Irvin through his first two NFL seasons. Clemons played with Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril in 2013, when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks didn’t try very hard to keep Irvin or Mebane, knowing Irvin would be too expensive and declining to pay Mebane as much as they gave Ahtyba Rubin ($4 million a year) the other day. Irvin ended up getting $9 million a year from Oakland, while Mebane also headed to the AFC West, getting $4.5 million a year from San Diego. Sweezy received a $6.5 million average from Tampa Bay.

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Contracts, Free agency

Big-spending Raiders, Jags make it tougher on Hawks, Bennett

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Bennett vs 49ersA month ago, the NFLPA called out the Raiders and Jaguars for falling behind the CBA’s minimum-spend requirement; so, with a combined $140 million in cap space, it was obvious those teams were going to come out spending this week.

While that is good news for Bruce Irvin, who reportedly will sign a big deal with the Raiders, it might not be a great development for the relationship between Michael Bennett and the Seahawks.

Bennett obviously will take notice of Malik Jackson’s $90 million deal with Jacksonville and feel even more underpaid than he already does. At $15 million a year, Jackson is blowing away the market for defensive ends. And you have to wonder if that will scuttle any chance of Seattle working something out with Bennett.

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Contracts, Free agency

As league year nears, UFA picture clears

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UFA projectionsAs the start of the league year fast approaches, we are starting to get an idea of how it is going to play out for Seattle’s top free agents.

Reports over the past two days indicate that Bruce Irvin and Jermaine Kearse aren’t going to be back. Irvin is expected to get around $10 million a year, with Jacksonville and Atlanta among the expected top suitors.

On Wednesday, Irvin told 710 ESPN, “If the money was close, I would definitely consider” signing with the Seahawks. But it won’t be close — Seattle can’t afford more than perhaps $6 million a year.

Meanwhile, Kearse reportedly is planning to sign elsewhere — a sign that the Seahawks have told him their limit (likely $3 million a year) and he knows he can get more elsewhere (maybe $6 million). Speculation has him replacing Roddy White in Atlanta, where former Seattle DC Dan Quinn is entering his second year as coach.

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CHAWK LINES, Free agency, NFL Combine
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chawk lines -- Combine

You know that meeting between the Seahawks and Doug Hendrickson? It wasn’t really about Michael Bennett’s contract, per Gregg Bell.

Brandon Mebane, the longest-tenured Seahawk at nine seasons, would love to finish his career in Seattle. Seems like it should get done.

At the Combine, Pete Carroll talked about the process of learning about draft prospects.

Hilarious: Marshawn Lynch was rappin’ while “ghost-ridin'” a camel in Egypt.

Russell Wilson debuted his new clothing line at Nordstrom.
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NFL Combine, NFL draft

Don’t expect D-line in first round

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Combine logoThis draft apparently is so deep on the defensive line that not even the Seahawks could screw it up.

You might think that to be a harsh and unwarranted comment coming against a two-time Super Bowl club, but the simple fact is the Seahawks have been terrible at drafting and developing defensive linemen.

John Schneider & Co. have selected 11 in six drafts, and they are still looking for their first sustained success story: Frank Clark (2015), Jordan Hill (2013) and Cassius Marsh (2014) are the last men standing.

The Seahawks have had great defensive lines because they have relied almost exclusively on veterans — Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Alan Branch, Jason Jones, Tony McDaniel and Ahtyba Rubin — to step in alongside longtime Seahawk Brandon Mebane.

Mebane and Rubin — the heart of the NFL’s No. 1 run defense in 2015 — are pending free agents, which explains why most mock drafts have the Hawks taking a defensive tackle at No. 26. But their history says they won’t do that.

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Contracts, Franchise history, Free agency

Hawks will continue to avoid franchise tag

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Seahawks franchise tagThe franchise tag period runs today through March 1, and the Seahawks will skip it for the sixth straight year.

They have not used the tag since 2010 — the first year of the Pete Carroll/John Schneider regime — when they used it on Olindo Mare.

Schneider has stayed ahead of the curve, avoiding any need for the tag by getting early extensions done with potential franchise players Marshawn Lynch (2012), Kam Chancellor (2013), Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman (2014) and Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner (2015).

They gambled on Michael Bennett in 2014 and ended up re-signing him a day before free agency started — a week after the tag deadline.

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CHAWK LINES, Free agency, NFL draft
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Chawk lines 75 pct

Rob Staton posits a seven-round mock draft for the Seahawks, which nets a couple of linemen and a pass rusher.

Bob Condotta takes a look at the Seahawks’ linebacker situation entering the offseason.

Hawk Blogger presents five alternative free-agent D-tackles as Brandon Mebane and Ahtyba Rubin prepare to hit the market.

Derrick Coleman apparently was smoking synthetic weed when he had his car accident in October.

Kam Chancellor is out of the Pro Bowl — appropriate considering he didn’t merit it anyway.

Condotta explains why the Seahawks surely wouldn’t ask a retiring Marshawn Lynch to return bonus money.

Dave Boling points out that Carolina has used Seattle’s blueprint to get to the Super Bowl — a good sign for the Seahawks heading forward.

News flash: Seahawks fans hate Cam Newton.