I am not sure if the Seahawks have one of the best front offices in the league or this team is going though a major rebuild. Come to think of it, it's not about the "or" it's about the "and." This is a great rookie class and many will have an immediate impact because this is a roster overhaul.
It looks like the 1st and 3rd round picks will be day-one starters and most (if not all) of the remaning 4th-7th rounders are having an impact in practice and are likely to make the team. KJ Wright, Richard Sherman, Mark Legree and Malcolm Smith all seem to be playing well and could see the field this Fall. This was a draft that was pretty well ripped by the national media (especially Tent Dilfer) which leads me to think that John Schneider and team have a strong eye for talent and the Seahawks mission is to get younger and give these kids a real shot. They will make mistakes but it will be fun to watch their development.
In terms of the undrafted rookies that were signed as free agents, it seems like three of them may make the team. Three. That is unheard of in recent memory. I think there are 4 with a legitimate shot of making the 53. Josh Portis is the leader in the clubhouse. He is the 3rd quarterback and I don't think he would clear waivers to make it to the practice squad. Former Boise State Safety Jeron Johnson is probably next likely. Pierre Allen and Doug Baldwin are having fantastic camps by all accounts, but both play very crowded positions.
The only undrafted players I can remember in recent memory that made the opening day roster were CJ Wallace and David Hawthorne.
Even most of the Free Agents they signed from other teams are young. This is a nice change from signing overpriced players whose best years were behind them.
- Sidney Rice, 24
- Zach Miller, 25
- Alan Branch, 26
The willingness to potentially keep a slew of drafted and undrafted rookies leads me to believe that this is a major rebuild as PC and JS are building a team in their image. This looks to be a great rookie class and it needs to be. It is big and agressive. The Tim Ruskell teams were undersized and based on finesse, which when all the parts worked in unison made for some pretty entertaining football. The only problem was that since 2006, a lack of talent at some positions caused many others to be exposed.
After 15.5 hours of travel Thursday, I arrived home tired to watch the game on the DVR.
General assessment: While I was hoping for some flashes of offensive brilliance from the starters, this wasn't the case. Maybe it was because the top three WRs were not dressed, maybe it was because Okung only made it through 4 plays, maybe it was because they are installing a new offense for the third year in a row...whatever the reason. The Hawks looked a lot like they did last year. Poor pass protection, no separation for their receivers and a genuine lack of playmakers. Maybe this will change when the o-line gels and Rice and BMW are in at WR. I sure hope so. The run blocking looked improved. Hopefully this will only get better. It would be nice to have a true fullback who can block. I am not sold on Michael Robinson in this role.
Defensively, Kelly Jennings reminded me of...Kelly Jennings. Ack! He is too small and too out of position to play regularly. Hopefully Walter Thurmond will be healthy enough to win the spot. Browner and Sherman looked good (and tall) in the second half. Let's hope they continue to impress. Kam Chancellor made an impact with a couple of stops against the run. Wilkerson did the same getting in the backfield a few times.
Quick thoughts:
1) has anyone seen Red Bryant? His injuries are always an issue and I have a bad feeling about him again.
2) has anyone seen Russell Okung? His injuries are always an issue and I have a bad feeling about him again. Ugh.
3) it would have been nice to see more of Tarvaris. He knows the system, why not play him more? Whitehurst is new to the system, yet he played the most.
4) Josh Portis (once he settled down) is pretty dynamic. I would like to see more from him. His upside seems large..
5) I would like to see the big, young corners Browner and Sherman get some time with the first team. If they can play then we can get rid of Jennings.
6) Coutu can't kick it deep enough even with the extra five yards. Let's hope Jeff Reed can.
7) Not sure what is up with John Carlson, but his blocking is horrendous. Maybe he wants to get traded, who knows.
