Outside The Press Box
We used to be in there, now we’re out here
The second round of the NFL draft got off to a good start Thursday when the Seattle Seahawks picked Bruce Irvin with the 15th pick overall.
It continued a trend of the Seahawks skipping over the first round to begin in the second.
Semi-joking aside, the Seahawks’ pick of Bruce Irvin certainly stunned the majority of draft analysts and observers. The Seahawks were smart enough to move down from 12 — and they should have moved farther, as general manager John Schneider said they considered doing.
Most analysts had Irvin rated as a second-rounder for two reasons: (1) He’s nothing more than a pass rusher (at least for now) and (2) he had a checkered legal history.
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- Tags: big reach, bruce irvin, pass rusher
Seahawks’ draft trade scenarios
23 Apr 2012
We’re down to four days before the NFL draft, and the draft rumors are heating up as usual. I’m doing my best to stoke those fires by offering up potential scenarios for the Seahawks to trade down from the 12th pick.
Last year, perhaps because of the lockout, there were just four trades in the first round. That was a big drop from the previous four years, when there were seven trades on average in the first round.
The Seahawks have talked to other teams about moving down in each of the last two years, and they should consider it again this year unless they want to take David DeCastro or Luke Kuechly at No. 12.
There has been some chatter about the Seahawks drafting Ryan Tannehill if he somehow slips to 12, but it’s hard to see that happening for a lot of reasons.
The one guy who seems to be drawing the most interest around the Seahawks’ pick is Alabama safety Mark Barron. Peter King has even suggested that the Seahawks should take him themselves, explaining that the Hawks use a lot of nickel and could play Barron, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor on the field together at least 60 percent of the time.
Of course, that is a far-fetched idea that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The far better idea is to use Barron as trade bait for teams like Dallas, Philadelphia and even New England.
Even if Barron isn’t the trade lure, it could be a number of other players, and there figures to be at the very least a fair bit of conversation about Seattle’s pick.
The Chargers could want to move up for a pass rusher, which would allow the Seahawks a mulligan of sorts on their bad Charlie WHitehurst deal from 2010. The Eagles could want to jump over Dallas at 14 to get Barron, and the Patriots reportedly might be interested in leaping up from 27 to get Barron, too.
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- Tags: chargers, eagles, patriots, trade down
Mariners still don’t have an offense
14 Apr 2012
A week ago in Oakland, it looked like the Mariners might be a changed team — that is, one with an offense.
They scored 15 runs in two wins over the A’s and followed that with five more in an 11-5 loss to Texas that gave them 20 runs in a three-game stretch — something they did just three times last year.
The question then was: Was this a momentary blip or a sign of things to come for the Mariners’ offense?
After Friday’s pitiful home opener — the first I have ever attended — we have our answer. The Mariners now have scored seven runs in their last four games and look no better on offense than they have been the last three paltry seasons.
Sphere: Related ContentProgramming note: I will be using a more concentrated forum for posting Seahawk content going forward, but I will post highlights with links here. Please feel free to follow these promo links to Examiner.com, where I am now the Seahawks Examiner. You also can follow me on Twitter:
The Hawks had plenty going on last week.
See “how Pete Carroll talked Paul Allen” into those kooky new duds …
See why the Seahawks should try to trade down in the first round …
See why Barrett Ruud and Deuce Lutui don’t solve the issues at linebacker and guard …
See how the rumors are already flying and what general manager John Schneider says about them …
And check out whom the Hawks are taking in my first mock draft …
Sphere: Related ContentIt’s time for NCAA to contract and pay football and basketball players
By: Chris In: NCAA hoops
4 Apr 2012
NCAA basketball has hit a low point. It’s really unfortunate, considering it has long been one of the best sports in the country.
The uninspiring title game Monday was a fitting end to one of the most lackluster NCAA tournaments in recent years. It was the second straight dud championship game. And now we get to watch another mass exodus to the NBA.
The Huskies’ worst fears have been confirmed as both Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten are going pro. Most of Kentucky’s starters figure to follow — for the third straight year.
It’s hard to blame any of them for leaving. They are getting paid peanuts in college, yet have to play for a year if they want to be drafted into the NBA.
The NCAA needs to put a stop to it. There’s a simple, very logical way: Pay the players as university employees and make them sign three-year contracts if they want to play for the school.
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- Tags: huskies, terrence ross, tony wroten
In 2010, the Seahawks had a chance to move down from the 14th pick, but they wanted a safety and Earl Thomas was there, so they took him. A year later, he was voted to the Pro Bowl, so they apparently made the right decision.
Last year, the Hawks wanted to trade down from the 25th pick but “had some things fall apart,” as general manager John Schneider said. And they ended up reaching to draft James Carpenter.
In less than four weeks, the Seahawks will be drafting at No. 12, and you can bet Schneider again will be strongly considering moving down.
There are two surefire players they could draft at 12: Stanford guard David DeCastro and Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. If the Hawks stay still, they have to take one of those two.
But their greater need is an outside pass rusher, and that might lead them to explore options for trading down and adding a pick or two.
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When you think about it, it’s ridiculous that this is the first time Ichiro and the Mariners have opened the season in Japan.
From the time the Japanese superstar signed with Seattle in 2001 and turned into an American sensation, the Mariners should have been locked into a trip to Tokyo every two or three years — not necessarily to open the season, but at least to play some exhibition games. The fact that Bud Selig waited until Ichiro had been in the majors for 11 years and was in his twilight proves once again how shortsighted Major League Baseball is.
That said, it’s certainly great for Ichiro, 38, to be able to take a career curtain call in his homeland. It was awesome that he had four hits in the opener. And better yet that the Mariners — Japan’s unofficial national major-league team — won.
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- Tags: dustin ackley, ichiro, japan
The Seahawks’ remaining needs
25 Mar 2012
Just like last year, free agency has been a reunion tour for the Seahawks, filled with former Packers, Vikings and Raiders.
Of the four players they have signed, three had connections to the Seahawks: Matt Flynn and Kregg Lumpkin with John Schneider in Green Bay and Frank Omiyale with Tom Cable in Atlanta.
Of the four other guys who reportedly have been in for visits, three had hooks with the Hawks: Steve Hutchinson (an ex-Hawk who played under Darrell Bevell in Minnesota), Visanthe Shiancoe (Vikings) and Dave Tollefson (drafted by Schneider’s Packers in 2006). The Hawks also were interested in former Raiders Kamerion Wimbley and Michael Bush.
As Schneider told John Clayton earlier this month: “There are guys obviously in free agency that you just feel more comfortable with because you have seen them play. You’ve seen their line of work.”
Seattle hasn’t gotten every guy it has wanted — in fact, other than re-signing Red Bryant, Marshawn Lynch, Breno Giacomini, Michael Robinson and Heath Farwell, the Hawks have struck out on most of their top free-agent targets. No Peyton Manning, no Mario Williams, no Wimbley. Of course, that also means they didn’t have to fork over a ton of money to those guys.
Before free agency started, they said they wanted to focus on keeping their own guys.
“We’d like to reward our own players,” Schneider told Clayton. “Once you get to a point where you … get the group you think you can win with, and you’re comfortable with, you try to keep that group together and try to keep that cohesion, and try to supplement with free agency if you need to for specific needs and specific holes.”
They filled a couple of big holes with Flynn and Jason Jones. Flynn could be the next Matt Hasselbeck, and Jones should fill the inside pass rusher role Jimmy Wilkerson was expected to last season before he got hurt in the preseason.
The Hawks also need to address the linebacker position, where they need two starters. Pete Carroll hinted recently that the draft could provide some good options, and he didn’t seem overly optimistic that David Hawthorne would return.
Beyond that, they are just looking for depth on the lines, at tight end and at running back.
Here’s a closer look at the positions the Seahawks have addressed and still need to focus on, either in free agency or the draft.
Sphere: Related ContentDoes “postseason” success put state of hoops on right path?
By: Elliott In: NCAA hoops
24 Mar 2012
After the regular season was complete, there was no denying that the 2011-12 campaign was wildly disappointing for both Washington and Washington State, with preseason expectations unmet and questions lingering about the futures of the respective programs.
The Huskies had been left, controversially (and justifiably), out of the NCAA tournament after their lackluster season, while the Cougars slogged through another year as one of the Pac-10s have-nots.
As we approach the end of March, however, is it time to reassess the state of Washington hoops?
Washington finally has played to the level of its talent, and is headed to New York City for the second time this year to play in the semifinals of the NIT. Of course, it helps the Huskies got to match up against UT-Arlington, Northwestern and Oregon along the way, but the simple fact is they should have dominated this tournament, and so far, they have.
Washington State was generously invited into the College Basketball Invitational with a 15-16 mark and managed to knock off San Francisco, Wyoming and Oregon State to advance to the three-game final series against Pittsburgh. You’d be forgiven for not knowing anything about the CBI, as it is reduced to the tiniest of agate type in newspapers and receives zero coverage on ESPN.
And while we’re at it, let’s give some props to Western Washington, who ran the table and won the Division II championship Saturday, besting Montevallo (which, honestly, I’ve never heard of) in front of a sparse crowd but a national TV audience.
But does this success have any bearing on the future? Or will the state of hoops be in dire straits again next year? Read the rest of this entry »
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- Tags: cbi, ncaa tournament, NIT, uw, washington, washington state, wsu
If Matt Flynn isn’t expected to be the starting quarterback of the Seahawks, why is he pictured prominently on their new season-ticket ad?
Don’t let Pete Carroll fool you: He has every expectation that Flynn will be the starting quarterback of the Seahawks this year — and going forward.
Both Carroll and Flynn have said it will be an open competition between Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson. Carroll told KIRO 710 ESPN Radio that he envisioned them getting “as close to equal snaps as possible” in camps.
Carroll told reporters, “We’re very clear on how we delivered the message. We now have the opportunity to have an open competition. I expect T-Jack to be better, and I expect Matt to come here guns blazing.”
Flynn: “I’ve always been a very competitive guy, and a very confident guy. I know that I’m going to come in here, and I’m going to be in a competition. I’ve always been a firm believer in competition. I think it brings the best out in everybody.”
Carroll admitted to the KIRO guys what we suspected — that asking Flynn to throw the ball for them on his visit was partly a test of whether he would be willing to compete for the position and prove himself.
“There was a little bit of apprehension of ‘Will he jump at this?’ But he didn’t even hesitate,” Carroll said of the impromptu throwing session. “That’s what you want to see. He’s willing to show you what he’s got.”
If you read between the lines, you can tell Carroll is hoping Flynn proves to be everything they (and we) think he is.
Sphere: Related ContentAbout this blog
Two former sports reporters freed from the constraints of traditional print media write about the hot topics on both the Seattle and national sports scene. No deadlines, no word count, no press box decorum — we're Outside The Press Box.
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- Chris: I would have been fine with Kuechly. Would have been interesting to see if the Hawks would have been [...]
- Brian Barney: What are your thoughts about Luke Kuechly or is drafting a linebacker early a mistake after the Curr [...]
- AgentJ: College tuition is already high enough. Giving the NCAA a blank check to up the price of a degree is [...]
- Chris: Nice work, EZ. Here's the one I was writing at the same time: http://www.examiner.com/washington- [...]
- Chris: You were right. (I just wanted to test our comments) [...]
- Seahawks got second round started Thursday with Bruce Irvin
- Seahawks’ draft trade scenarios
- Mariners still don’t have an offense
- Catch up on a week’s worth of Seahawk content at Examiner.com
- It’s time for NCAA to contract and pay football and basketball players
- Seahawks should be looking to trade down this year
- Is Ichiro’s belated homecoming a sign of the season to come?
- The Seahawks’ remaining needs
- Does “postseason” success put state of hoops on right path?
- Open competition at quarterback? Only until Matt Flynn wins it
