The Seattle Seahawks announced that they have waived defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger this afternoon.
The Oklahoma product was one of 15 free agents the team signed after the final day of the draft on April 24.
The move leaves Seattle with four defensive tackles on the roster in Colin Cole, Brandon Mebane, Craig Terrill and Kevin Vickerson, although defensive ends Red Bryant, E.J. Wilson, Robert Henderson and Lawrence Jackson all have the ability to play inside.
Talent across the line is thin. I’ll very very interested to see how Wilson plays this preseason and to see his progression. His potential versatility (LDE and 3 tech) would really go a long way to helping solidify this unit until ’11 when it will be addressed in earnest. Bryant being able to hold an edge on running downs will certainly help. But if Wilson is / becomes a stout run stopper and Bryant doesn’t have to play there, that helps a critically thin NT position. I am not a fan of moving Jackson inside (3 tech) in any case. He was simply outmatched there from what I saw last season, so I envision Mebane playing a lot of snaps this year. But, there’s a long way to go before they start counting games, so we’ll see what happens…
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Mebane seemed to play better at nose than three. The early mini camp D line practice must look like a Chinese fire drill at times.
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I wonder if this means they’re opening a roster spot for someone else they’re planning to sign.
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We are screwed on the D-Line
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Not sure if it’s okay to post this, but Helmet2Helmet.net just hosted a 30-minute online chat with John Schneider. The link to the transcript is at the following URL:
http://helmet2helmet.net/2010/05/27/transcript-chat-with-seahawks-gm-john-schneider/
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Thanks for that link. Good stuff.
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oceanic – That year that was very true, but this is another area that Carroll’s switch to the “under” makes a lot of sense. Last year we read that moving Mebane to 3-tech would free him up and he’d face fewer double teams and that would allow him to penetrate and be disruptive in the backfield, but just the opposite happened; he faced more doubles. Last year they ran a traditional 4-3 or an “over” where the d linemen are shaded to the strong side. What this basically did was expose Mebane to doubles from the guard / center or guard / tackle because they would have a TE on that side to help out with the DE. But this year, the “under” will shade the d line to the weak side, where team’s don’t have the luxury to double him. He’ll be lined up on the guard’s outside shoulder. If the tackle helps with a double team, the DE will be unmanned and be free to the QB. This simple move alone should allow him to be far more productive. In addition, with his size / strength / mobility it opens up a ton of possibilities them to stunt with the Leo and disguise all sorts of pressure. Mebane will have a great year in this scheme.
Stigmata – Thanks for posting that.
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*Last* year…
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Duke, thanks for the info.
Strange, same DC but much more innovative D line play and several new players to implement the new scheme. This could be a very productive change.
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Ok,
We see everything from “this could work” to “we are screwed on the D Line”.
The sad part is you can’t really argue against either position. DL is by far the biggest question mark coming out of the draft and FA.
It’s either going to work or it’s going to resemble the Hindenburg. Time will tell.
I don’t see any other area on the team right now that has me as nervous. And that includes the OL where we all THOUGHT we would have our biggest concerns. OL is definitely improved. Nobody is saying it’s 2005 quality but it will almost assuredly be better than 2008-2009.
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The key to O line success seems to be continuity. The same five guys all season long. Last year Rams rookie OT Jason Smith suffered a concussion Nov 22 and it cost him the rest of the season. The NFL is taking a very hard stand on that issue. So Hamilton has concussion problems, Spencer has missed mutiple games the past three seasons and Locklear the past four seasons.
So I have concerns about continuity on the O line.
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chuck_easton – The truth will lay somewhere in the middle of Hindenburg and total success, of course. Not everything can be fixed / rebuilt in just one off season and the d line’s talent has clearly been relegated to season #2.
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DeMarcus Granger?
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