Tag Archives: James Carpenter

Hawks address CB depth, other roster spots

March 9, 2015 cc Leave a comment

A day before free agency, the Seahawks took care of several roster questions — adding two cornerbacks and keeping two of their own pending free agents — while also learning James Carpenter probably will join Byron Maxwell on the way out of town.

The additions of 30-year-old cornerbacks Will Blackmon and Cary Williams address the major depth problem the Hawks face at that position — Maxwell leaving, Jeremy Lane dealing with a broken wrist and torn ACL, Richard Sherman healing up a torn ligament in his elbow and Tharold Simon apparently recovering from shoulder surgery.

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Contracts, Free agency, The roster

Hawks need to ‘find a way’ to keep Mebane?

February 26, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Brandon Mebane apparently is in danger of being cut.

On 710 ESPN, John Clayton said, “I think they’d like to find a way to be able to keep him.”

That’s both ominous and surprising.

It’s hard to imagine the Hawks parting with Mebane, especially with so few in-house options at nose tackle. He was playing some of his best football before suffering a torn hamstring in November and being place on injured reserve.

Mebane, 30, is slated to make $5.5 million in the final year of his deal. Clayton thinks he is in line for a pay cut like tight end Zach Miller took last year, when he reduced his 2014 pay from $6 million to $2.88 million and his 2015 pay from $5 million to $3 million.

Of course, the difference is: This is the final year of Mebane’s contract. So they either would be asking him to take a pure pay cut or they could extend his deal by a couple of years. The pay cut does not really make sense, but Clayton thinks the Hawks think so.

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CHAWK LINES

February 21, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks reportedly have offered Marshawn Lynch about $21 million over the next two seasons. Does he want to play though?

John Schneider and Pete Carroll both spoke at the Combine, about Lynch, the Super Bowl and the future.

Schneider revealed that Jeremy Lane suffered a torn ACL on the same interception play on which he also broke his wrist in the Super Bowl.

Among many topics, Carroll said they were working on hiring some assistant coaches at the Combine.

Speaking of Lynch, he had a good message for a crowd at an underground concert in Oakland on Thursday.

Russell Wilson also did some talking this week, taking the blame for the goal-line interception in the Super Bowl but reminding everyone that he is moving forward and thinking ahead, as always.

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Contracts, Free agency, History

As usual, Hawks won’t use franchise tag

February 16, 2015 cc 1 Comment

John Schneider (via Fresh Files) The Seahawks have not used the franchise tag since 2010 — the first year of the Carroll/Schneider regime — and they almost positively won’t use it this year either.

The window opened today and goes through March 2.

John Schneider has been great about re-signing key free agents before their contracts expire, and the guys they have lost in free agency have been role players or lesser starters they were prepared to lose.

This year they have only two starters scheduled to hit free agency, and they are not going to pay cornerback Byron Maxwell or guard James Carpenter $13 million in 2015.

Schneider has said the team will try to retain Maxwell, but he also admits it will be hard. Maxwell is expected to get an offer worth at least $7 million a year — the Hawks probably would go only as high as $6 million.

Contracts, State of the team, The roster

This is the perfect time to reset the offense

February 9, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks have spent the last five years building one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL — a unit that has allowed the fewest points in the league for three years running and has been the main reason Seattle has reached back-to-back Super Bowls.

But, as we saw in the Super Bowl, the offense is a two-dimensional cardboard cutout — forced to rely largely on the determination of Marshawn Lynch (aka Beast Mode) and the freelance ability of Russell Wilson (aka DangeRuss).

When Seattle’s best offensive personnel grouping includes undrafted receivers Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Ricardo Lockette and fifth-round tight end Luke Willson — and the coaches think throwing to Lockette on the goal line to win the Super Bowl is the best play — the Hawks have a serious problem.

This offseason, that must change. It’s the perfect time for Pete Carroll, John Schneider, Darrell Bevell and Tom Cable to determine the future of the offense — to improve their receiving corps, find some reliable offensive linemen and otherwise make a concerted effort to fix a unit that has been running on the shoestrings of Lynch and Wilson.

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Injury report, Playoffs: Green Bay

If Britt sits, it will be OL combo No. 8 — not like it matters to the Hawks

January 16, 2015 cc Leave a comment

It was almost inevitable.

Just when you thought the Seahawks’ offensive line had done its best Humpty Dumpty routine and been put back together again, it appears the Hawks could end up using their eighth starting combination of the season Sunday against Green Bay.

Rookie right tackle Justin Britt, who had started every game alongside right guard J.R. Sweezy while the left three positions juggled around all season, will be a game-time call Sunday due to a knee injury suffered against Carolina last week.

If Britt can’t play, sixth man Alvin Bailey would make his sixth start of the season — at his third position. He started two at left tackle for Russell Okung and three at left guard for James Carpenter, and he also stepped in briefly for Sweezy in one game.

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Contracts, State of the team, The roster

With decisions to make, Hawks need to create a more dependable O-line

December 17, 2014 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks' line — Russell Okung (76), James Carpenter and the rest of the Seahawks’ line sit on the bench during their win over the 49ers on Sunday (Seahawks.com)

Rookie right tackle Justin Britt’s
struggles have opened up the
debate about whether the
Seahawks should consider
replacing him next year, but the bigger question is whether the Seahawks should replace the left side of their line — Russell Okung and James Carpenter — over the next two years.

The Hawks are unlikely to give up on Britt so soon, but they definitely will have decisions to make along the line in the next couple of years, especially with three starters up for free agency — not that we can tell a starter from a backup anyway, considering injuries continually knock out Okung, Carpenter and center Max Unger.

Offensive line has long been Seattle’s weakest link — and that predates John Schneider, Pete Carroll and Tom Cable. The last time the Hawks started the same five all season was 2007, and they have averaged seven combinations a year in five seasons under this regime. They really need to find some consistency so the offense can progress.

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State of the team, Week 15: San Francisco, X's & O's

Once again, Hawks are winning despite O-line

December 17, 2014 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks have rediscovered the formula that won them a Super Bowl: No. 1 defense plus Beast Mode plus DangeRuss plus crappy offensive line.

Can you imagine what kind of season Marshawn Lynch would have if he was running behind the 2005 Super Bowl line that featured future Hall of Famer Walter Jones and All-Pro Steve Hutchinson? We’re probably talking a 2,500-yard season with 30 touchdowns.

But that’s fantasy. Reality is that this line is basically in the same shape as the one that limped into the playoffs last season.

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Contracts, State of the team

Hawks got it together and can keep it together after this season, too

December 12, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Over the last three weeks, the
Seahawks’ defense has gone on a tear
unlike anything it has done under Pete Carroll and the Hawks have
re-established themselves as the Super Bowl repeat threat we all expected them to be.

Assuming the rejuvenated Seahawks maintain their dominant play and take it to the same conclusion as last year, the big question will become: How do they keep this going to create that dynasty we all projected?

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State of the team, Week 12: Arizona

Is Wilson’s slump over?

November 19, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Russell Wilson has been scuffling along for weeks, fighting a passing slump (we can only hope it is passing) that has been worse than
anything since early in his rookie season.

It’s almost as if he has been enduring the so-called sophomore slump in his junior season.

He played better in Kansas City, seeming to find a little rhythm with his receivers, but he still was unable to rally the Hawks — the third time in Seattle’s four losses he has not been able to win it at the end.

You would think the third-year quarterback would be past that kind of a skid, especially considering all of the trials and tribulations he overcame last season, when he played behind a battered and leaky offensive line against some of the league’s best defenses and still led the Hawks to a Super Bowl title.

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