We got our first look at Edgerrin James in a Seattle Seahawks uniform this morning. He was wearing his customary No. 32, with cornerback Kevin Hobbs giving up the number for the 11-year veteran.
Hobbs said a deal is in the works, and is now getting used to the No. 38, with fellow players ribbing Hobbs throughout the practice by calling him Mack Strong.
James didn’t do a whole lot during the two and a half hour practice. He worked a few reps during team drills and ran through individual drills with his position group. But mostly James shadowed Julius Jones throughout practice, and also spent a good deal of time talking to running backs coach Kasey Dunn and Justin Forsett in working to get the offense down.
It’s an unfamiliar position for James, who said he’s used to helping out younger players with the offensive scheme
“The part I hate because I missed so much time is not knowing exactly what to do – not knowing my responsibilities,” James said. “I’m always usually ahead of the game. I always try to out study everybody. And that’s the thing that’s different now. I’m playing from behind.”
He did say he doesn’t feel the offense is that complicated and he should pick it up quickly.
James said he’s been continuing to work out on his own to stay and shape in case he got a call during training camp, and that he’s not here to compete for the starting job
“I’m not here to compete with Julius, I’m here to complement him,” he said. “I’m coming in here for us to work together and do whatever we’ve got to do. I just want to win.”
Head coach Jim Mora echoed those sentiments. And said the team made the move to terminate T.J. Duckett’s contract and pick up James because they believed Duckett was more of a role player and James more of a complementary back.
“We look for him to be a great complementary back for Julius,” Mora said. “We just felt like in order for us to get better we need to add another complementary back. We got some backs who are role players. But in order to run the ball the way we want to run the ball we needed someone to complement Julius.”
James said he’s familiar with the zone blocking scheme, having ran a similar scheme while in Indianapolis.
He also played for the senior Jim Mora while with the Colts, and the younger Mora said James came highly recommended by his father.
Mora said he’s not sure if James will play on Saturday against Kansas City.
Although he gets to play his former team the Arizona Cardinals twice this season, James said he’s not concerned with meeting his former teammates.
“I’m not worried about that,” James said. “We did well. We made it to the Super Bowl. We didn’t get a chance to win, but it was a nice time, so that’s over. I’m past that.”
So can James still play?
“We’ll see,” he said. “You guys just come out here and see. I’m not going to sit up here and say I’m going to do this or that. I’m just coming to work and trying to put myself in a position to have success.”
Mora also refuted an online report that Walter Jones might be out for the year after having arthroscopic knee surgery last week.
“That’s just some guy who decides he wants to throw it out there and see if it sticks,” Mora said. “Walter is as upbeat as I’ve seen him since I’ve been in this role, because I didn’t spend a whole lot of time with Walter before. As a matter of fact, a couple coaches this morning commented on the fact of how upbeat Walter seems.
“So, people can say what they want and speculate whatever they want but I feel confident that he’ll be ready to go here shortly. But I’m not in his mind. I can just tell you what I see.”
Sitting out this morning’s practice were David Hawthorne (knee), Travis Fisher (hamstring), Walter Jones (knee), Marcus Trufant (back) and Chris Spencer (knee).
Defensive tackle Craig Terrell practiced but did not go through team drills. The team will have one practice on Thursday before flying to Kansas City on Friday.
Offensive lineman Brian De La Puente also arrived today and went through practice.
That’s all for now.
Man, I go camping for a couple days and I come back to this? They sign Edge, cut Duckett, Spencer out 6 weeks and a Nighthawks sighting. Goodness. Well, I can’t say that I’m too distressed about Duckett being cut, but it seems odd that they would go through the OTAs, most of camp, not to mention all last year and make that decision now. I certainly hope their assessment and faith in Jones (and Forsett) is on point. Since I’m sure Weaver’s name has been brought up regarding this whole thing, I’ll reserve comment. Feels good to be back.
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He’s here to compliment JJ not replace him.
What a moron!
Doesn’t he know what he’s here for?
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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Seahawks-tackle-Jones-likely-out-for-season?urn=nfl,185179
Somebody please talk me off the ledge . . .
It’s just a bs rumor, right?
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Duke – i was away as well – and real Hawks news happens ..
I’m good with the Edge signing – I think he’s an upgrade over Duckett – he looked good in the playoffs. It’s nothing to jump up and down about, he’s slow these days, and had some real low yards per carry seasons the past couple years, but it’s like picking up a veteran point guard in basketball, there will be a time when he’ll be a steady presence for us.
Sick of these OL injuries, dammit . ..
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Oops, I should have read your full post Eric, sorry, I see Mora already responded to that rumor about Walt – good.
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Yo pdway…..if you read the article in which you are commenting on then you would see that Mora just clarified that is wrong. Jones is looking great. He believes Jones will be ready shortly. Don’t worry man
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James is here to compliment Jones? As in: “Hey Julius, love your spin move. Yo, JJ, you rock that jersey”?
Sorry, Eric, after seeing “complimentary” six times, that just was too hard to pass up.
I think he’s actually here to complement Jones, not compliment him.
Eric, what does Walter have to say about his knee? Or are the Hawks keeping him off limits?
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Tough position for Edge. Everyone who really knows the Hawks, knows our O-line stinks. If Edge doesn’t perform, he’ll carry the blame.
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So Walter Jones will be back soon? That is good news.
About 10 days until the cut to 53. A good topic for the Trib message board.
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Ccsolo: Thanks for the grammar lesson. It’s been corrected. We haven’t had a chance to talk to Walter Jones since he had his surgery, but all indications from talking to the coaching staff are that he’s doing well and has no more pain in his knee. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see him in another week.
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I don’t know. If Edge is unable to contribute, seems like any criticism levied will fall on the team’s front office, not Edge. Feeling around the league (at least the fans) is that he’s done, or at best as very little left in the tank. So it won’t come as a surprise if he fails. Whereas the Seahawks have known for months what they have at RB coming into camp. I certainly would not go back and advocate a RB in the 1st round this last year, I love Curry (who I presume is back practicing) but it goes without question they will be taking a RB early next June.
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Can we first address the OL before addressing the RB position in 2010? RBs come dime a dozen. Good OL’men are long term projects.
And obviously – can we first make it through the ’09 season before addressing the 2010 draft ? I’m comfortable with what we have in ’09 – assuming Mr Jones is back and productive by January 2010.
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Hey fellas-forget all this talk about who we have, who’s injured, and who we should get. Look at the teams we play this year, some pretty nasty d-linemen will be standing opposite of a rusty, injured, and young OL with no chemistry to date. The OL will never recomver from this sketchy preseason. I don’t see the running game going anywhere, and teams like the Titans, Pack, and the Cows are going to pin their ears back and light Matt up-God forbid. Go ahead and label me with whatever negative title you want but this season is a wash. Walt plays 6 games tops. Hopefully the broncos will do just as bad and ruskell will be out the door-i could not stand to see him blow next years 1st round pick(S).
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Man Variable….how positive of you
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positive, negative, or realistic-call it what you will SH2620.
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bird_spit – Of course. It’s merely a cursory look to the future. But I will suggest that good running backs are not a dime a dozen, hence the ‘Hawks signing James. And yes, o-line and secondary will also be focal points in ’10. Okay, back to the current team in progress…
variable575 – Since you already know the outcome of this season, I presume it won’t be necessary for you to watch any games.(?) Along bird’s sentiment: let’s allow the season to unfold before we give up on anything. This is a VERY talented team that will forge it’s identity as the season rolls on. The future is bright for this organization, and that begins, I believe, this year.
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One man’s opinion:
The edge signings seems like a win/win solution with a lot of faith being placed on our line. Which I feel a little better about the confidence that seems to emanating from the coaches. I feel this transaction backs that confidence. The ZBS seems just a little more complicated and/or just that much different from a conventional iso/slide scheme. To me our OL woes seem more stem more from execution rather than physical performance. Mora seems fairly convinced we are just on he brink of clicking and gelling. Again this transaction proves that.
Duckett didn’t fit with a successful ZBS. He was a short yardage back and that at most. 3rd and 3(or less) situations or from ten yards close within the redzone. Duckett was a go through the hole with big powerful legs and grind out those few yards. A successful ZBS will provide you a small window to hit those few yards on it’s own. That’s where Ducketts regression became less unfavorable. He was meant to power and power only. We need backs that are able to hit that hole and get into that window while it’s still there.
This brings up an expanded role for Julius. I think Julius will be used on these 3rd and short situations. If he can hit that hole fast enough he has already proved to be able to fall forward(instead of to the side like we are accustomed to) and spin his way past that inital contact. I remember last year thinking we have a spin cycle happy back… But it works.
I think Edgerrin will get his fair share of carries also but I think that they will be more prone to spell Julius with edge in long yardage situation. James has established himself as a blocking and catching back in his “diminished” age. He provides a leadership presence in the backfield that I have seen no one step up to. He sounds like a great team player and looks to provide more than just a situational playing role. Lastly if either Julius or Forsett (in his limited but important role) were to get injured, edge is capable of standing in EITHER role whereas Duckett could do neither.
Forsett looks to lose the most opportunities from this signing. I had projected Forsett to have a similar break out year like Ray Rice. Somewhere in the range of 70 carries and 35 catches.
Our offense looks to be taking on a similar look to Philadelphia, which I love. (Go figure, a hybrid WC with Holmy roots) If this is a true statement Forsett could develop into a more integral role player for our future.
Again this is just one man’s opinion.
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Dukeshire-this is the season???? are you kidding?? If what I’m saying is at the negative end of the spectrum than yours is at the very far end of the positive and hopeless end.
You give me grief for a bad yr prediction for the hawks and imply i then have no reason to watch-well i’m not as fair weather as you may be and will watch the hawks as winners or losers.
Does anyone know how moras atlanta D ranked??
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It’s too early to give up on the season, but it’s justified to have some concerns in light of the O-line. running game, and pass defense.
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Honestly it doesn’t matter what any of us think. I’m pretty sure that the guys who know most about whether or not our players are healthy are the guys who are around them everyday. The players and the Coaches. Let’s just wait and see. Please do not come in here with your negative or “realistic calls” and drain every ones excitement for the season. I already know that you are probably going to reply like “I can say whatever I want on here” or something similiar to that. Maybe you are a little bit more mature then that though. Who knows. Let’s just wait for the season to play its self out
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Seahaek2620-I gues we can see the height of your maturity level.
Its just a disussion buddy-relax. Good eye though about the coaches and everyone around the players knowing the most-tough one to discern.
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What do you think the ending roster will look like.
The Obvious
QB – Hass, SW, Teel
RB – JJ, EJ, JF
FB – Schmitty, Grif
WR- TJ Housh. NB, DB1, DB2,
TE- Carlson and Owens
OL- Walt, Lock, Sims, Unger, Spencer, WIllis, Vallos, Wrotto
DL- Kerney, Cole, Mebane, Redding, Tapp, Bryant,
LB- Tatupu, Curry, Hill, Lewis,
DB- Lucas, WIlson, Russell, Grant, Babs
ST- I forget the LS name, Ryan, Mare or Coutu?
I purposely left Trufant off, since he coupld be on the pup which does not count against the 53
The DL LoJack is probably a lock (GM pick) and and terrill should be on the team.
LB should be Hawthorne, Herring and Laury
DB Wallace and Fisher?
WR I have it down to 3, Obo, Kent and Taylor. Kent looks like a beast on ST.
anybody else’s thoughts?
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I wasn’t being a sarcastic ass when I was commenting about your maturity….as for my maturity I am 17 years old and by no means think I am the maturest thing in this city. When I said “Maybe you are a little bit more mature then that though”….I actually was wondering if maybe you are. Most people would just reply well I can say what ever I want. As for the coaches and players knowing most about eachother, yeah I was being sarcastic. Of course I already know that everyone in this room knows that. It’s not much of a discussion though when all you are doing is tearing the team down . I understand your frustration, Ruskell hasn’t handled the big decisions very well and has not brought in any help to shore up the key positions in which we are struggling. I just get frustrated when people are like, “well, lets just throw in the towel for this season cuz its gonna be a long one”. Let’s just wait and see man. We have plenty of talent to not do pretty well this season. Obviously it is annoying having Mora and the whole Seahawks organization keep telling us everything will be fine because we trust the backups we have blah blah blah. We all know you need talent and not just heart. I am sure they will do something though. Mora likes to run the ball and will not go a season with an awful o line. He obviously sees something that we don’t. Let’s just hope he does know what he is doing and isn’t too overwhelmed to handle it
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As far as trading for O-line, Baltimore has Derrick Mason, and um, Derrick Mason, and and yeah, really nobody at WR. Mason even retired and unretired, and is older than old when it comes to receiver.
Baltimore also has a stockpile of O-lineman, just a thought, I know people discussed that on an earlier thread.
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variable575 – Would you please point to where I said you were negative? I’m fair weathered? I only presume you feel that way because you started posting here within the last few days. Please relax yourself.
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Your 17……they should implement a minimum age requirement for this discussion. Opposing opinions are what make a discussion, Seahawk 2620. If you’re actually that sensative to an honest and fair opinion maybe you should wait to join such discussions until you grow up a little-Good luck with that one!
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Apparently I am “grown up” enough to be in the navy according to the U.S. that is. Obviously you are oblivious to the fact that when you tear someone elses team down, they are going to be a wee bit upset. As for your definition of a discussion, I would argue that what we are having is a debate. A debate of whether or not the Seahawks will succeed this season.
If you are thinking that I am not yet old enough to be in the Navy, I am. My parents signed for me to enlist when I turned 17 ten months ago, because I graduated 2 years early from high school. I finished A school 3 weeks ago in Virginia and am now on leave for 2 weeks.
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Thanks for the resume!
Can anyone elaborate on the Mora falcon defense??? I know it was a 4-3, just curious as to where it ranked.
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I don’t remember and too lazy to look it up but if I’m not mistaken they had a good year in his first season there. That’s part of the reason I’m very optimistic about Mora in year 1. Around year 3 I think it would have been better to have Holmy around, but for this year, Mora is the man for the job!
Duke – you’re back! Damn fair weathered fans:) Reminds me of my fantasy baseball draft the same day the Hawks traded JP for Redding. I get back on board and all hell broke loose with well over 100 comments. LOL.
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I agree completely when you say you are giving your honest opinion. Although please point it out to me where you are being fair.
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Alright Variable…i’m sorry man…I really don’t want to be all uptight about someone else’ thoughts. Probably already too late for a forgiven on your end. As for the Jim Mora’s defense….I don’t know the exact rating, but I do know that every analyst thinks the reason why they didn’t go to the super bowl was because the lack of defense
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His defense ranked 22nd in the league in 2006
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I have watched the Den game a few times focusing on the offensive line. I have to tell you that Vallos looked good at center as he did late last year. He stepeed right in for Spencer (hurt by running?) and played well finishing off that drive. He blocked 3 guys on the Forsett run to the 2. He has a bit of nasty in him and I think he will supplant Spencer even when/if he comes back., especially if we are winning early. Unger looked very good at SD and Wrotto did really well in the Denver game. Wrotto stones all comers at the POA. He is a literal wall. Sims, I hate to say it looks good so far and I think he will be much improved. I truly believe he is better than Wahle was last year. Willis looks like he can handle the right side so far. That leads us to Locklear. Obviously he struggled against Denver, I think he is a good player but an average left tackle. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Jones is the key to this whole deal. If he can come back and play close to his past we will be fine. In fact we will have a very solid OL.
I think if you look at our top 7
Jones – LT
Sims – LG/RG
Vallos – C/RG/LG
Unger – C/RG
Wrotto – RG
Locklear – RT/LT/RG
Willis – RT/RG
I think we will be fine with those guys. They are versatile which helps with injuries and solid enough to make the playoff push. If Pit can win the SB with their trash we can win with this group for sure.
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I agree Microbeer…..it has so much to do with chemistry and the linemen having enough time to get to know each others good and bad. If the line we have now (with walter once he returns) can stay healthy the rest of the pre season and work with each other then we will be fine. You have to remember that all of these guys are pros for a reason. Not the best pros obviously, but they are pros and are better then average.
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Stop beating each other up guys.
What does this say about our new coach? People are saying that Ruskell is making a panic move, maybe Mora went to Ruskell and said, ‘I need some help here’. If the coaching staff makes a decision on a player that is destined for a key role, they need to work with the front office to find a replacement.
Mora looks like he is willing to make the tough decisions. The coaching staff is supposed to have the final say on who makes the team, if Mora feels a player can’t get the job done, he needs to find guys that can get the job done.
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Micro, I noticed that run block by Vollos that got forsett to the 2yrd. He did look pretty nasty pushing three guys backward, I wonder why he’s not the starter to begin with when you consider the rumor that spencer has issues with making the right calls at the line. Spencer must have a bigger bench!!! Can’t be speed though, vollos was haulin’ down field.
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Seahawk2620
-I don’t want to judge someone on past achievements but you can’t disregard a 22nd d ranking as old news, right? not to mention a cascading record in Atlanta. seems like the good ol boy network is in full force. Ruskell calls on his “yes man” Mora, mora calls on knapper, and they all call on former subordinates. That whole unfolding was quite comical and definitely head scratching. With all my posts leaning towards the somewhat negative, there’s something in my gut saying it could be good. We’ll see though.
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Variable575
I understand man, Mora has not been one for leading a great defense. Strange though seeing as how he prides himself for his defensive knowledge. I get real hyped up when talking about the new season. I still feel as if we are capable of a good maybe great season. I am able to come back to earth though and see where alot of your points make sense. Yup, we will have to wait and see. This season can fall either way. If Ruskell turns into a genius over night and decides to trade Branch and someone else for a solid linemen, we can be great. I don’t see that happening, but if Mora wants it to…..maybe something will happen. Right now I would like to grab Levi Jones. I am confident with everyone on our line except for Locklear at LT. I would much rather him at RT obviously (everyone would). As for Vallos, I have always liked him over Spencer….regardless of where they were chosen in there drafts. I am a little worrisome about Unger only because he is a rookie, but he seems to be progressing fairly quickly.
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What is with nfl.com!!! Just a few weeks ago they were saying what a fantasy bust housh was going to be, now they’re saying he’s going to have value…….You never realize just how stupud the national media until they cover a local team that even the fans know more about. also, gotta like the props steve young has been giving the seahawks. I hope locklear just had a bad day and will have a huge turn around, seems like he could. Maybe his lady yelled at him on gameday morning for not taking out the garbage.
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Haha yeah that would get you down haha. I don’t know they do that all of the time. Not to long ago they were talking about how Housh shouldn’t be picked until the later rounds, but now they are talking about the players who will have good stats with different teams. It’s ridiculous.
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I still say we should trade for OL man from the Ravens, Titans or, go after Andre Smith since he is most likely done with Cincy. Levi Jones is a waste of money.
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I think we should clone Walter Jones and age him to 24 years old. And then clone him again. That would take care of RT and LT. Now, to invent the secret machine to make one age after being cloned and keep it to ourselves…
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We can’t dwell over the OL, it is what it is. If we try to make a play to pick up a linemen that would be great, but why would Ruskell do that know, he’s had months to try to figure something out and hasn’t yet. Also, don’t beleive the coaches about Jones. He’s goin to play in, hate to agree with variable, but maybe six games. With all that said, the Hawks will defy all nay sayers cause the rest of our division is going to be weak. Hawks are playoff bound, st8 up. When they get there, let the fun begin because anything can happen. Blue Pride for life, peace
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I would hate to trade for Andre Smith. Not that we woud have the cap space to do it anyway. He would first have to sign his deal. Very large number there, would be offset some by an astronomical signing bonus, I dont think that we have that kind of space left. Then on to caracter issues. Look at the debacle he had at the combine. That was before he was a multi-millionair. This dude is poisen. All that is before you even figure what we would have to give up. Probably Denvers pick next year and maybe Deon Butler or Willis. They might even want Locklear. I think before the season starts there will be some decent players getting cut and there might be an option at that time. If not we go into the season with what we have and although maybe not the ideal situation I think We will be okay. Do I picture this winning the superbowl? No, but then again in 2005 if you had asked me if there was a chance after going 2-2 with the heartbreaking loss to Washington I would have laughed.
(I belive we won the SB in 2005, atleast against the Steelers, but those darn zebras are tough). Everyone is 0-0 and EVERYONE has holes in their teams. GO HAWKS!!!!!
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Mr Williams, you have to be a little careful using the speech to text tool. The words that get inserted are usually spelled correct so you either have to use the grammer tool or proofread the copy. I’m guessing you didn’t mean to write “James said he’s been continuing to work out on his own to stay and shame . . .” but something about “stay in shape”.
Otherwise, great article, as usual.
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Did you guys hear that Edge lost the mother of his four children and that is why he didn’t pursue being picked immediately in the off-season. I hope he does good here!!!
Hey one note about the topic of going max-protect for matt so he can air it out…..It made me think of how we did fine two seasons ago when holmy decided to go airborne. it worked great until greenbay and found out we needed to run and not pass!! heck, holmy really ticked me off in that game- he didn’t even give shawn a chance to shine-the lastime we played GB in the snow was at quest and shawn racked up 200+yards………What was the walrus thinking in that play off game!!??
Look at the teams this year, if we go 9-7, or 10-6 we’ll deifnately play a 1st rd game in GB, Philly, New york, or even chico. Could be in the snow, I hope we get the run game going by mid season if not sooner!
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Yeah Variable, I did read that about Edge… that’s pretty brutal to have happen. I’m sure in a way, that in itself will be even more motivation to perform great this season. Just seeing this interview makes me excited to have him, even if he is worn down and aging. He’s just better than Duckett in every way in my opinion. I look forward to seeing him adapt to the team. And I’ve been on the Vallos over Spencer bandwagon for over a year now as well… I hate to say it but Spencer’s injury is addition by subraction. There’s a lot to be excited about… while only having a couple things (although important) to worry about. (OL, secondary).
It’ll be nice to see the starters for 3 quarters against KC. I hope Curry’s groin is good enough to go in that one.
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Atlanta’s defense under Mora 2004 to 2006 (to answer a question) per NFL.com stats.
2004 14th in total defense (ypg), 22nd in pass defense, 8th in rush defense, 14th in scoring defense.
2005 22nd in total defense (ypg), 14th in pass defense, 26th in rush defense, 18th in scoring defense.
2006 22nd in total defense (ypg) 29th in pass defense, 9th in rush defense, 15th in scoring defense.
I hope Walter Jones is recovered after that scope, but it was his back that had made him miss all those practices, and we haven’t heard how that is. He turns 36 in January. I’ll believe he can hold up to a 16 game season when I see it. Solid is not a word I’d use for the o-line. Spencer is out for what, 6 weeks with yet another injury. Which means either the guy who couldn’t beat him out of the job last year (Vallos) or a rookie that was about win the RG spot over Wrotto will play center. It’s obvious that the front office and coaches placed too much confidence in Jones’ ability to bounce back, at age 35, from microfracture knee surgery and now is experiencing back spasms, too much confidence in Locklear to be a long term starter at LT and too much confidence a RB they way overpaid for last year.
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I think Edge with his NFL experenice will help Forsett improve this season, and is good insurance for JJ. Matt looks like he is back to his old self, and with the group of recievers he should have a great year. Sure, I am worried about the OL the Denver game showed some promise. The defense is scary at best, hopefully the linebackers will have a breakout year. Looking forward to a great season, with Mora winning coach of the year, to help me forget MH.
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The OL will struggle to be consistent all year, with occasional success tempered with being dominated by a superior opponent the week after. Locklear isn’t the answer at either tackle spot, but one solid addition on the edge could make a world of difference. Sims may be the comeback player of the year on this team. Spencer, Wrotto and Jones will be gone next year, which should produce a line consisting of a first round LT, Sims, Unger, Locklear/Vallos, Willis/Locklear. A solid but average NFL line.
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Hammajamma-
I agree with you on Spencer and potentially Jones, but why wouldn’t Wrotto be back? He is under contract and a road grader to boot.
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Wrotto has looked good to me in practice, especially in the run game. Having Wrotto and Willis on the right side would be a formidable run blocking tandem. If they could hold up in the passing game, they would definitely be above average right side.
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Doesn’t Wrotto’s contract expire after 2010? And I too like the idea of Willis and Wrotto together. And despite Lock’s debacle against Denver Saturday, I’m not convinced he’ll bust at LT.
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Hammajamma -
Locklear isn’t the answer at either tackle spot? That’s a bold statement if you have seen any of his previous 75 some odd games. If you take walt out of the equation Lock is the best tackle that we have right now…at either position. Hell he’s argueably our best offensive linemen.
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All good posts. I’m a little encouraged by the rankings of Mora’s Atlanta defenses (especially the first year), and a little encouraged by some posters’ faith in the remaining o line. I still think we need to try to get another tackle, whether it is Jones or someone else that we have to trade for. The coaches will likely not spend more than 1 of the first round picks next year on the OL (although I wish they would use them both), so we might as well try to shore things up now. Besides, if we can get the OL to play even average, I think we might have a really good year. Any way you look at it, I’m excited!
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KD – I don’t think most people think Lock is garbage at either tackle spot. He’s not Walt, but (to me) neither is Joe Thomas, Orlando Pace, or Anthony Munoz). Lock will be a functional LT. Not great, but I do have faith he’ll be better than he was against Denver. And you’re right about his career… he is a fine RT. However, I think what people mean is that the skill set of Willis means he’s a much better RT than he is a guard. That’s the reason many think he should stay at RT over Lock. Lock has a more versatile set of skills and Mora even had Lock do some work at RG when Walt was practicing (which didn’t last long). Overall, he is our best tackle right now (you’re right), but it may be best for the team if he’s at RG and play Walt/Willis at the tackle positions (when Walt returns).
I do agree with the posts that say Willis and Wrotto would make a great run blocking right side. Combine that with the ability of Carlson, who is definitely an above average blocker, and we could/should gain some good yardage behind them. And with James coming into play, even if Willis/Wrotto aren’t the greatest pass protectors (their strength is the running game) they would/could get help from one of the best RB pass blockers in the NFL.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
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I loved the first play from scrimmage in the SD game when Carleson battled sean merriman and kept him from making a play on jj. I replayed that one about a dozen times…so I definately agree with bobby on that point.
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That was a great play, just sealed the corner (If this is the play I’m thinking of, and I’m sure it is). It’s no secret he’s worked his a** off to improve his blocking and lower body strength.
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I think going after a big name LT at this point is just as much of a panic stricken reactionary move that some of the ruskell bashing arm chair GM’s are so hypocritically calling out.
It is not a dire need at this point. Locklear holds down the position at LT. He is reliable and capable of playing the position well. I was also panic stricken after the last game, where it seemed that locklear was getting overpowered. After taking a deep breathe I was able to remember that lock has played that position in an admirable fashion more often then not (which the only time would be that Denver game). To go out and get a big name LT would be to predict that both Locklear and walt will not be here by the end of the season. Kyle Williams plays to the ability of an average back up. He actually looked pretty fluid in training camp if you have read some of my previous camp posts.
People need to put into perspective. Walt is not only the best LT that this team has ever seen. He is possibly the Best LT that has ever graced this league or ever will. He is an aberration. I used to question whether he was actually human. Unfortunately I am getting my answer. We will never have another LT or player that is as dominant as walt. We need to be realistic. We have been spoiled. There will be backside pressure, there will be backside sacks. Our next LT will be the worst LT that has ever dressed in a seahawk uniform if you maintain your expectations to perfection.
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Walter Jones: Call it a career there buddy! You’ve got nothing left to prove. You are one of the best Tackle’s the NFL has ever seen! Aren’t all these injuries a sign of what’s to come if you keep playing!? You don’t literally want to go out with a CRACK BOOM BANG SNAP do ya?!?!?!?
I know there are some of you out there that think “oh God, if Walts out for the year, there goes the season”… Well, if your one to think that, then you are certainly not a Seahawks fan!
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I hardly think that if other people have an opion, right or wrong from yours (nor right or wrong overall), then that disqualifies them from being a Seahawks fan.
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Bobby that’s a great post and observation. Willis is a mauler and with Lock’s exp at RT I’m sure the conversion to RG would move much faster than to LT in a new scheme. With walt we could do wonders and obviously our team is better. However, part of me, and a very small part of me just wants to maintain a consistency from start to end of the season whether that is with walt or without walt. I think with teaching a new scheme, continuity is the most important factor especially for our future.
Also during the last practice available (at husky stadium) I was locked on Lock considering walt had just recently gone down. I noticed that Lock and Sims worked really well together with 2 vs 2 drills. They seemed to have a pretty good chemistry even with the stunts that were being thrown their way. Out of 5 or so reps I did see the two get their feet tangled. Lock was sliding behind sims to the right. He was able to recover his feet and motor Tapp out wide right, around solari who was forced to backpedal. I would imagine if this were done in a more realistic setting Tapp would have most likely been frozen by the center and lock would have just dropped back. However, this did show a flash of locklear being able to recover even with tangled feet.
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Wouldn’t matter if Ruskell hadn’t blown the last few drafts in terms of RBs: http://hawkblogger.blogspot.com/2009/08/rbs-ruskell-passed-on.html
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