The Seahawks announced this afternoon the signing of six practice squad players to future contracts. The players are wide receiver Patrick Carter, linebacker Anthony Heygood, receiver Mike Jones, running back Xavier Omon, tight end Jason Pociask and cornerback DeAngelo Willingham.
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Good lord…how about let’s find a GM?
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I going to keep asking until Eric, or someone, is able to answer this; are these signings and roster moves Webster’s doing?
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So this basically means, hey come back and be on the list of people we plan to cut before getting down to the final roster, correct?
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“So this basically means, hey come back and be on the list of people we plan to cut before getting down to the final roster, correct?”
More like, hey come back and be on the list of people that the new GM will burn before creating his own list of players we plan to cut before getting down to the final roster.
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To bad that these names are’nt GM, Head Coach, OC, and OL
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Hey Dukeshire. I view these moves as rubber stamps by Webster that help fill the 80-man roster for next season, and really nothing more than that. I was a little surprised by the signing of punter Jon Ryan, but perhaps it was a situation where the organization just wanted to make sure they had him locked up for next season. Again, the Ryan signing has not been confirmed, and no major moves have been made up to this point.
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Tonight is a final chance to see Derrick Morgan (DE) and Bryan Bulaga (OT). I’m excited.
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If you were a player on the fringe, and were offered the opportunity to sign with a team, you would do it without hesitation — even if the circumstances were as uncertain as they are here right now. For those players, the only reason they would not sign with us is if they decided to quit playing.
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Rob Rang has us taking Okung and Spiller.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock
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Little off topic here…
Is it just me or are the ‘Hawks players mentioning the word “trust” a lot this week? Matt referenced trusting the play, the coach and the guy playing next to you, also mentioned it again when asked about a new gm, it’s important to have trust in the building or something similar.
Julius mentioned needing to trust the new GM as well.
Is there some distrust in the current organization? I feel like we’ve heard one or more of the receivers mention this as well.
Anyone have any insight?
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BobbyK- is Mike Jones the guy that played for Jaxonville a while back. Kind of in the mold of a Joe Jervicious?
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I think you’re thinking of the coke-head criminal WR that Jax drafted in the 1st round about 4-5 years ago from Arkansas, Matt Jones.
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Audible- I would be happy with Okung and Spiller. Then maybe get Lupati with our 2nd rounder( What is Lupati’s projected round)?
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That’s the one. Thanks for the clarification.
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Thanks for the draft link. The other guy, Reuter, has Seattle taking Jimmy Clausen and Anthony Davis. Personally, if I had to pick a Golden Domer, it would be Golden Tate.
The trend for WR is swinging towards the speedy, nimble playmaker with great open-field running ability. The biggest impact rookie WR’s of the last couple years have been that type.
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The only way I think Iupati will be available with our 2nd round pick is if he struggles in pass protection at the Senior Bowl. I know that’s not his strength, but I don’t see him struggling that much. I’ve been intrigued by him for quite some time (size/strength) from everything I have read. But it was nice to see him in his bowl game and I certainly wasn’t disappointed (even if he wasn’t playing Texas). I’d really like to have him.
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I agree with Mora about needing more “dirt bags” up front.
Iupati seems like a dirtbag.
This first person in the photo seems like the farthest thing away from a dirtbag:
http://eyeonthehawks.seahawks.com/
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That’s funny Bobby, too posted that picture after the Green Bay game. My thoughts exactly.
Iupati will have to struggle some in the Sr Bowl and tank underwhelm at the combine to make it out of the first, IMO.
Eric – Thank you for that clarification. I then presume the roster moves, or lack thereof, at the end of the season were his as well. (Failure to hang on to Walker) Another question while I’m at it – with this list of 4, is Webster no longer considered a candidate? Thanks again.
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Browns:
-4 game win streak
-bring in holmgren
-Holmgren immediately makes noise with rumors of bringing in someone who could be his gm and has already had success elsewhere(mike’s obviously the GM).
-There’s also talk that he’s targeting John Fox as a head coach.
Seahawks:
-supposedly they signed jon ryan.
-oh, and there are rumors going around of a knapp firing(would be funny if he stays)
I don’t have to say anything else other than we are really going nowhere faster than any team in the NFL(with the exception of the lions and rams–arguably).
Still early though………….
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Duke – I remember when you copied the link… I was thinking to myself – WTF… looks like a pretty boy wanna-be… not a badass like we need… I remember sending for a Seahawks Game Day magazine earlier in the decade and the photo on the front was Hutch and he was looking into the camera with a mean, I’ll kill you, look. Great persona for an offensive lineman you should fear. Not that I’m comparing Iupati to Hutch, but he definitely seems like a badass who could command some respect and be a guy who you would want to go to battle with. Mike Johnson seems to have that badass mentality too. I think we’d be reaching for him with our 2nd round pick, but if we can trade down to later in the 2nd round, he’s a guy I’d love to have in the later 2nd round. It’d be nice to have a core of Iupati-Unger-Johnson who could play together for a decade.
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So, Bobby K, or others who watch more college ball than I do – is Tebow an NFL quarterback? And, if no, why not?
What if he was there when we pick in the 2nd round?
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Anyone know of a site where you can watch actual college football games from this past season? I’d like to watch another Idaho game.
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Tebow – no. Perhaps my favorite college quarterback of all time (with Turner Gill and Gerry Gdowski) was Eric Crouch but I never wanted him as a Seahawk. He was simply a great college QB. That’s it.
I don’t like Tebow because he doesn’t have the accuracy that’s so important in the NFL. He can run over players in college, even in the SEC, but when he gets to the NFL (if he were to play for us) is he really going to run over Dansy, Willis, or Laurinaitis? Nor does he have NFL speed if he’s going to be a running QB. Many starting QBs are slower than Tebow, don’t get me wrong, but most of those QBs don’t depend on their legs to be part of their game. Lastly, Tebow has one of the longest deliveries I have ever seen. In the bowl game, the announcer was going off about how his motion goes all the way down to his hip (long wasted motion). I’m sure it can be coached out of him (it will have to be in the NFL) but it’s really going to change his throwing motion to something he isn’t comfortable with b/c in the NFL you have to get the ball out so much faster… unless you’re playing our DL and can have all day to throw. If he’s there in the 5th round, that’s about the only way I’d be comfortable taking him and hoping for the best.
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Eric,
I was doing some research on these guys and it’s Xavier Omon not Oman. Just thought you would like to know. Thanks for all you do!
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No on Tebow as well. The biggest thing, to me, is that he’d likely have to change his entire throwing motion as Bobby said. I’m just not sure he’s athletic enough to make the transition. He would be a major project in any case and I’m not sure Seattle would want to invest that time into a QB with a marginal return and upside. In addition, who in this organization has proven to develop QBs, at this point? Let alone a significant rebuild…
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Anyone watching this game? #94 DE Clayborne for Iowa, and #91 DE for Georgia Tech look like big athletic DE, not sure what their draft status is, but they look pretty solid to me.
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I love Derrick Morgan (#91) for GT.
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First day of blogging for the boys is in the books, and Dukie and Stevo blew my mind. Nothing like a long day at work, and then coming home and getting some great Hawks news.. In time, I think we’ll try to incorporate some humor and something to make it a little off-beat, but I’m not sure how we can do that yet.
For now, I am just really impressed.
Check it out – http://www.hawksnest12.com/
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I was not impressed with that Morgan (DE from Georgia Tech) last night in the Orange Bowl. He was not a factor at all. Buluga (OT from Iowa), on the other hand, did fairly well. He seemed to be able to move quickly, get up field for blocks, and handle himself pretty well against Morgan, who is supposedly a really good college DE. He did have one holding penalty, but nobody is perfect (Walter Jones came awfully close though).
A few mock drafts have us taking Buluga, which I would be happy with after seeing him play last night. I’m not high on Morgan anymore since he was so easily shut down by talented OT’s last night. He is going to have to face those kinds of tackles every week in the NFL.
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Tod Lieweke continues to run this show. I am sure all 6 of these signees will be a major help during the upcoming season. There goes Tod now with a needle, I think he is making sure that Allen stays in his drug induced coma. Tod’s pulling the puppet strings now!
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Sando reports that the Seahawks have formally asked the Eagles for permission to speak with Heckert.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4799893
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Morgan provided a good push and made some plays last night. He’s strong at the point of attack and has speed/athleticism. He’s everything you want in a 4-3 DE (can get to the QB with a bull rush or w/speed on the outside, and is stout at the point of attack).
McCoy and Suh didn’t have sacks in their bowl games either. I doubt that means we should pass on them.
How many NFL players had 16 sacks this year? Not many. So even the best of pass rushers don’t get one every game.
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Morgan looked a little bit slow last night compared to some of his highlight videos I’ve seen. He hasn’t played a game in over a month and probably ate too much Turkey and Ham during the holidays. A lot of draft boards have him going at #3 overall.
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Did you guys not notice Clayborne #94 from Iowa? That guy was a beast and was big and fast. I thought Morgan looked good to me. He definitely qualifies as a high motor guy, except he’s not tiny.
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Did anyone catch Stanzi’s “America’s the greatest country in the world; love it or leave it!” blast, during the triphy presentation? Good grief, son, time and place for everything.
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No one is saying this but how about drafting a tackle at 6, and Terrence Cody at 14, then moving to a 3-4 would be a possibility.
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I saw an interesting comment about Steve Keim. He wanted to draft Adrian Peterson instead of Levi Brown but got overruled. Thank goodness for that!
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The more I’ve thought about it the less I’m a fan of moving to a 3-4. I actually think it’s more likely they move Heater outside and shop Hill. Curry, Lofa, Heater. Then, if Lofa were to get hurt again next season (like the previous two), Hawthorne moves back inside and Herring fills in on the weak-side. I’m not sure what Hill’s value would be but draft picks are good, perhaps the 3rd they are missing…
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Audible – Gore, Peterson and Jackson 6 times a year… No thanks.
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Dukeshire: “The more I’ve thought about it the less I’m a fan of moving to a 3-4.”
I think everybody’s going to move to a 3-4 eventually because the looks are so difficult to read. The problem is that 3-4 defenses are hard to staff and you absolutely need top notch coaching to make them work well.
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I really was impressed with the Iowa guy too. But he’s going back to school. And his competition was lower than Morgan faced. The Iowa LT is going to be a 1st rounder and their other tackle is going to get drafted.
And one thing with Morgan last night… Iowa was able to keep GT off balance all night. They didn’t know if Iowa was going to run or pass. That was great coaching and execution on their part. Morgan never knew if he was going to play the run or pass, which means he could never tee it up when he knew they were going to throw. And the play action passes that Iowa ran were extremely effective because their run game demands respect. There’s lots of variables in games that aren’t always taken into consideration.
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“Rob Rang has us taking Okung and Spiller”
I’m happy with Forsett. I want Okung and Mike Iupata.
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earther – Well, 3-4s are beginning to gain popularity again and I like the defense as a scheme. But the Seahawks are much, much further away than just a NT to be able to run it effectively. They have no safety help capable of the support necessary. And yes, as with any goof defense, great coaching is what makes the scheme sound and Bradley’s background doesn’t suggest that’s a strength of his. Whether it’s Lebeau’s beautifully disguised blitzes in their 3-4, Kiffin’s old franetic Tampa 2 or any other defense that has been copied around the league, you don’t just line any players up and expect great results. If Seattle wants to commit to that, fine. I think both Tapp and Curry would flourish in that system. But do not expect the same results, say, Green Bay had in their first season making the switch. That is a far more talented unit to start.
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And Green Bay used 2 first round picks to make the 3-4 transition easier. They got their NT and rush OLB. We can’t afford to use 2 first rounders to aid in the transition to a 3-4 because our offensive line is so terrible. That unit deserves some real love and I would be happy with a scenario like nighthawk suggested.
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KJR just reported that Suh was at the Portland Trail Blazer’s game last night. Apparently, Suh is from Portland.
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Yes.
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Yeah, that was on the news here.
And Green Bays secondary is so much better that the ‘Hawks, that helps.
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Another day and Nero (Leiweke) continues to twiddle his thumbs…
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And just what is Leiweke (or Nero) supposed to be doing? They have limited the list to 4 candidates. They have asked permission to speak to those that are under contract. They are signing their ‘futures’ or as Eric more correctly stated the guys that are going to fill out the 80 man roster but won’t likely be around for the final 53…
I know, he can go on a raiding party and physically abduct the candidates, hold them in a room until one of them signs.
Then he can lock all our own FA’s up at the practice facility until they sign.
Then he can demand that OT free agents come to Seattle or we’ll hunt them down.
Here’s a clue. You can’t sign a GM that is currently under contract to a team in the playoffs (that would be all four of the supposed candidates). You can’t sign FA’s until after February 1, 2009. You can re-sign your OWN potential FA’s and that is likely where they are spending their time right now.
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Oops, still living in the past should have said 2010! My bad. I haven’t had to write it down or type it much yet.
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The only problem with drafting two 1st round offensive linemen is that we won’t be able to address our problems on the DL. Are there some young DL scheduled to be FAs this year? Depending on the CBA, we’ll be able to address the OL in FA but maybe not the DL.
Ideally, we could sign Jahri Evans and the best OT in FA and use our top picks to grab a DL and possibly a safety or playmaker on offense.
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Can we sign guys from another team if they are getting a “promotion” I know we couldn’t interview anyone until the regular season is over. But I remember from somewhere that if they were getting a promotion they could be interviewed and hired now and didn’t have to wait until their whole season was over, where as if they were making a lateral move they had to wait until the end of their full season
For example Heckert would have to wait until Philly is knocked out to take a GM job, but could take a President job now.
Now of course I could be totally off the wall with this but who knows.
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Is any of you listening to Mora the Clown’s interview on KJR. He said his boss is Paul and Todd, when asked what would you say to your new boss (new GM) if he asks you what went wrong in your opinion.
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If I was a GM candidate, I would not take this job if it means Mora has to stay.
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He also defended Knapp.
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Here’s what Nero is supposed to do….
1.) Conduct interviews with outside candidates…if for no other reason than to see what great football minds (Shanahan, Dungy, Cowher, others–yes, that included Holmgren too) think of the personnel of this organization. In so doing, Nero would get a more accurate picture of the organization from the outside…and possibly find his next GM.
2.) Have his list of candidates ready to go almost immediately upon firing Ruskell. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get down to four candidates that can only appear on paper until they are out of the playoffs.
3.) Be creative–the fact that Philadelphia is in the playoffs has not stopped Cleveland (Holmgren) from interviewing Heckert. Offer a promotion (VP of the 20 yard line) that is an apparent promotion from their current position in order to get an interview during this time.
4.) Be somewhat public–periodic updates on the search and what it is that this organization is doing would be appreciated by season ticket holders and fans during this crisis of leadership.
But thanks for the clue, chuck.
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Isn’t Mora having a press conference today?
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Yes, he did, and KJR carried it live.
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Was it the same old thing? He defended Knapp? No coaching changes or anything like that so far?
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Yah. Basically saying if there is any mis-communications in offense we will fix it. But the funny thing was, a reporter asked him, what would you say to your new boss(new GM) if he asks you what went wrong this season? his response(he sounded very cocky), My boss is Todd and Paul.
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Dukeshire: “earther – Well, 3-4s are beginning to gain popularity again and I like the defense as a scheme. But the Seahawks are much, much further away than just a NT to be able to run it effectively.”
Yeah, I agree. Seattle isn’t staffed for a 3-4 at all. I think you need to get the coach first though and then worry about the players. It takes most teams several years to get it right anyway, if they ever get it right.
“And yes, as with any goof defense, great coaching is what makes the scheme sound and Bradley’s background doesn’t suggest that’s a strength of his.”
Goof defense, eh? I think that’s got to be the typo of the century. very apropos.
Anyway I have to say, after watching this season I wouldn’t exactly call the 4-3 defense Bradley’s forte either. As long as I live I don’t think I’ll ever forget that war cry from before the Cardinals game, nor the Mora echo that followed afterward. “Kurt Warner completes more passes under pressure than he does from a safe pocket”. Classic. Classically stupid.
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CYRREEN,
Yeah….that does sound pretty damn cocky for a coach who fielded a bumbling team that was disorganized and totally unprepared most of the season.
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Lol, Yes, well Bradley’s D was as goofy as hell at times. That’s for sure.
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Dukeshire,
What would you need to obtain a press pass to get into the locker room and press conferences, etc to report for your blog?
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wubabba,
It is just that there are rules that have to be followed about when you can/can’t talk to other candidates when those candidates are still under contract with other teams. Especially when those other teams are in the playoffs.
And I don’t think the team has an obligation to the fans to come out and have public conferences about what they are doing. Does your boss come into your office every day and tell you what he’s thinking unless it directly affects your employment?
Yes, we are all frustrated. We want this done NOW. I’m with you on that. But I don’t think they are sitting around doing nothing. And I don’t really expect them to be calling me and telling me what they have done to date.
I fully expect the first time we hear anything is when they are all standing aroud that stupid backdrop wearing their suits and having those silly grins on their faces.
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Audible – A gun, at this point I’m afraid. lol. That is a dream come true, however.
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