HAWKS LACKING REAL SPEED AT WIDEOUT
COULD TACOMA PRODUCT "VELTUNG" BE CARROLL'S ANSWER?
It’s the oldest play in the passing playbook and you just haven’t lived unless you’ve played street football and had the neighborhood QB tell you, “Just go deep!”
There are all sorts of names for this; the“Fly, Streak, Seam or Go" route or the "Hail Mary" at the end of the game for a team that is trailing. Each of these pass patterns has its special nuances that help wide receivers shed safeties and corners, for example; the “double move”, “hitch and go”, and “the deep post or flag,” but when it comes to running an NFL deep route… nothing beats pure, blinding, natural, God-given SPEED.
The Seahawks went into the off-season with few blatant bleak spots on the offensive or the defense. With Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin, Michael Robinson, Leon Washington and a maturing offensive line, Seattle ran the ball very well and often. In fact, the Seahawks ran the ball more than any other team in the NFL by percentage. Russell Wilson showed great maturity coming in as a rookie quarterback, an instant leader and accurate thrower. As the year progressed, Darrell Bevell (the Seahawks offensive coordinator and play caller) and Pete Carroll opened up the playbook for Wilson and Seattle’s new QB sensation didn’t disappoint. In the final ten games of the 2010 season, including Seattle’s two playoff games, Wilson threw 19 touchdown passes and ran for five more against only three interceptions, and his team went 8-2. The Seahawks seemed to hit on a gamble to switch newly drafted JR Sweezy, a defensive tackle in college, to offensive guard. He struggled, as expected in the first half of the season, but much like Wilson turned it on in the second half winning more playing time and effectively protecting QB Wilson from the interior pressure after allowing several defensive tackles a chance to haul off and plow into his quarterback earlier in the season. Breno Giacomini played well in the second half of the season, as well. After putting his position and perhaps his career in jeopardy drawing penalty after penalty for stupid after the whistle personal foul calls, he finally began to get his head together and his game. Russell Okung was his usual brilliant self, avoiding serious injury in 2012 and showing just exactly what his worth really is after being a first-round draft selection in 2009, a player in Carroll and Schneider’s first draft class in Seattle.
One of the positions that the Seahawks coaching staff thought would be a strength going into the season, with “Steady Eddie” a.k.a. Zach Miller, backup tight end Anthony McCoy and rookie Luke Willson who was perhaps the brightest spot early on during the OTA’s and rookie minicamp. Wilson has excellent speed for a man 6’6” tall and 252 lbs. running a 4.5 second 40 at the NFL combine and he makes a great target with his size. Coach Carroll said he was particularly impressed with Wilson’s soft hands and ability to use his speed in mismatch situations with shorter and slower linebackers. All looked pretty good for the Seahawks group at tight end going in to training camp. Then, Anthony McCoy tore his Achilles tendon in camp, essentially ending his 2013 season before it started. McCoy will miss a minimum of six months for the surgery and rehab, but in reality, it wasn’t exactly a lock for McCoy to make this football team. He’s tall, he has decent speed and fairly good hands, but he is frustratingly inconsistent and drops the ball in big moments with Seattle needs a sure-handed receiver to make a play. Several analysts and so-called experts are making a lot of this loss for the Seahawks, but I think it is superfluous. McCoy was in tough to make this roster and because of his continued mistakes, I think he would have lost his position to Luke Willson and Sean McGrath is a much better blocker. Victor Marshall, a local product, is a long shot to make the Seahawks final roster, but he is another great athlete who could surprise a lot of people. The Seahawks signed Darren Fells, a basketball player from California Irvine who showed great athleticism at a recent workout. He was invited to the Hawks try out at the Virginia Mason athletic center and was cut, but at the rookie camp that he was invited back to, he showed promise and was re-signed to work out with the team going into its training camp this summer. Cooper Helfet was also signed and invited to work out at the Seahawks training camp. In complete contrast to most analysts who believe the sky is falling in Seattle because backup tight end Anthony McCoy was injured, I believe the Seahawks tight end situation is alive and well and will be surprised to see Zach Miller involved more in the passing game and Luke Willson to play much better than McCoy ever played in a Seahawks uniform. No need to worry—The “Willson” on the Seahawks roster with two “L’s” is going to play in lots of (2)two tight end sets, making the Seahawks run and pass game much more versatile and dangerous downfield.
A defense, the Seahawks shined throughout the season, keeping opponents scoring down while rookie Russell Wilson grew into his professional football shoes. The Seahawks weren’t a scoring juggernaut earlier in the season the way they were toward the end. However, the way that the Seahawks defense played, it wasn’t necessary to score much more than 14 points for a Seattle win. The Seahawks defense was number one in the NFL for allowing the fewest points by opponents. The Seahawks defensive front was expected to be as dominant as their secondary and linebackers, but Seattle looked fairly weak down the stretch of the 2012 season allowing far too many rushing yards and putting more pressure on the defensive secondary for run support in open field. Carroll and Schneider addressed those problems during the off-season, signing free-agent Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett to increase the pass rush and Tony McDaniel to help shore up the interior defensive line along with Red Bryant, Brendan Mebane and Clinton McDonald. The Seahawks also drafted help for the defensive line, drafting in the interior pass rushing DT Jordan Hill from Penn State and huge DT Jesse Williams out of Alabama. Along with Seattle’s existing D line, these additions should help Seattle live up to the lofty goals of last season. It was expected that the Seahawks would draft an outside linebacker to replace Leroy Hill. Carroll and Schneider didn’t make a move on a linebacker in the draft until the seventh round and they also decided not to be aggressive in free agency to shore up that position, either. Schneider hinted in a post draft press conference that Seattle would lean on current players on the roster and perhaps move some of Seattle’s quicker defensive lineman to the weak side linebacker position. Ostensibly, they’re talking of Bruce Irvin and Cliff Avril to perhaps play back in space, where earlier they were only expected to put a hand in the dirt and rush the quarterback. Both Irvin and Avril have considerable speed for their size and could be extremely effective at the Will LB spot. Malcolm Smith, who played more in 2012 as Leroy Hill was being phased out of Seattle’s linebacking corps. Smith is seriously involved in the hotly competitive fight for that WILL linebacker position, as well as; John Lotulelei, Mike Morgan, Ty Powell, Heath Farwell, Craig Wilkins and Kyle Knox. Smith and Morgan likely have the inside crack at this position. Much of it will depend on each player’s contribution to special teams. Pete Carroll raved about Lotulelei's constant motor and sidelined to sideline speed. Mike Morgan is another LB on the roster who could also fight for one of the 5 to 6 linebacker spots on the final 53 man roster. Much of that will depend on each player’s ability to play special teams in addition to linebacker duties. Rookies John Lotulelei, Ty Powell, Craig Wilkins along with young veterans; Korey Toomer, Allen Bradford, Heath Farwell and Kyle Knox will also compete for a linebacker spot where special teams will improve their chances.
Without a doubt, the Seahawks defensive secondary is the strongest aspect of their team. It’s hard to find a weakness on this team, and several other aspects of the team are easily are close to it as well, but the secondary is something special. Led by All-Pro corner Richard Sherman and pro-bowl players Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Brandon Browner, these players are the best cover DB’s in football and they will hit you if you happen to catch a pass or two. In fact, I think this quartet of defenders wants each wide receiver to catch one pass, but one pass only. This way, they can show each player the consequences of catching a pass in their zone. Like lumberjacks and a blue ox, these guys will punish you and make you wish that you played baseball. Even the best receivers in the game think twice before stretching out to catch a pass against Sherman, Browner, Thomas and “The Punisher” Kam Chancellor. These men patrol the secondary hoping a wide receiver has the opportunity to stretch out his arms to catch a floating pass from his quarterback. Not only is the Seattle Seahawks secondary the best, they are also deep at these positions. Jeremy Ln., Byron Maxwell, Winston guy, Ray Parker, and extremely talented Walter Thurmond III are ready to go if needed in the nickel or dime packages used by Dan Quinn (Seahawks defensive coordinator). The Seahawks made another valuable acquisition in free agency, signing perhaps the best nickel corner in the NFL from Minnesota, Antoine Winfield. At 5’9” tall and just 180 lbs., Winfield is a punishing blocker and provides an extremely effective tackler underneath in the rushing defense. At 35 years old, Winfield admits he doesn’t have the speed he once had, but he still possesses the same small space quickness that he had his entire career and that’s what the Seahawks sign him for. It's hard to imagine, but the addition of Winfield at the nickel, makes the Seahawks secondary even more frightening to match-up against than last season's defensive secondary. Without Winfield, the Seahawks corners and safeties were considered far and away the best in the game and if they live up to the legend created over the off-season, they could be the best ever. This fabulous five could all realistically be voted All-Pro. He is pro-bowl caliber and with Browner and Sherman at his flank, teams are going to want to test his resolve over the middle and that’s exactly where Winfield excels. He's always been a fantastic hitter, who finishes tackles. Separating ball-carriers from the ball has always been his forte… AW is a master of the take away…
As I mentioned earlier, the Seahawks were expected to draft a linebacker in the earlier rounds of the NFL draft last April. Schneider and Carroll already struck gold on to linebackers in the draft taken last year and the year before. Bobby Wagner was selected in the second round of the 2012 draft and KJ Wright was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. Both Wagner and Wright have become stellar linebackers covering equally as well against the run and in space covering the intermediate passing game. So, who will play next to these pro-bowl caliber linebackers is still a mystery. Fortunately, the worst case scenario would be to continue Malcolm Smith at the WILL, or it’s possible that KJ Wright could switch from the SAM to the WILL and have; Smith, Irvin or Avril play the SAM. Seattle has only had 10 days of OTA’s, and thus far it appears Quinn and Carroll are moving defensive players around to find out exactly what they have before they settle on a plan to use players in certain formations. One thing is for certain, they have all of the press reps confused as they try to figure out what Seattle will do defensively with the linebackers or the front four down linemen. Even if opposing teams had illegal scouts following Seattle’s plans at the OTA’s, they wouldn’t be able to decipher much. Everything seems undecided at this point in the off-season workout structure.
So, I believe I’ve covered every aspect of the Seattle Seahawks offense and defense with the exception of special teams, and receivers. I’ll get this out of the way quickly: The punter, barring any unforeseen injury or other unnatural circumstance, will be John Ryan. The kicker will likely be Steven Haushcka, but Carson Wiggs may push him if he can consistently kick field goals outside of 45 yards and touchbacks on kickoffs. Haushcka was relatively consistent in 2012, but he ended the season with a calf injury and struggled on field goals outside of 45 yards.
Now, onto the reason I wrote this article:
The “Fly” or “Go” pattern has its special nuances that help wide receivers shed safeties and corners, for example; the “double move”, “hitch and go”, and “the deep post or flag,” but when it comes to running an NFL deep route… nothing beats pure and natural, Blinding Speed.
The Seattle Seahawks have a plethora of talented receivers to play the valuable slot position in the passing game. Acquiring one of the most versatile and dangerous offensive threats with the football in his hands, Percy Harvin is going to make the Seahawks offensive attack options almost limitless. Golden Tate had a breakout year finally in his third year in the NFL and seems poised to have a very good year with second year quarterback Russell Wilson who has confidence off the charts and leadership that takes several other charts. Pete Carroll said his new franchise quarterback scoured the film footage of his 2012 game performances looking for the things he could improve to make him an even better signal caller. “His footwork is impeccable,” Coach Carroll gushed about Wilson. “He has made it a mission to work on the intricacies of perfect footwork in every aspect of the game no matter if it’s a rushing handoff and improving his movement mechanics or if it is his passing foot technique inside the pocket and out. It’s just amazing to watch and he’s a million miles beyond where he was at this time a year ago.” As Wilson hones his game and becomes even better, opposing defenses will find themselves even more frustrated with the diminutive 5’10” 5/8 quarterback from Wisconsin. Wilson is dangerous in the pocket despite his lack of verticality, but once he ventures outside the comfort of the O-Line pocket… That’s when he becomes really dangerous, which is probably why his twitter account name is “#dangeRussWilson”. Percy Harvin is going to create a serious fear factor among defensive backs and defensive coordinators all year long. Add to Harvin and Tate, a Sidney Rice and a Doug Baldwin and you’ve got a veritable Chinese Fire Drill of Confusion and Trouble that no defensive back in his right mind would ever want to tangle with. The Seahawks drafted a very talented wide receiver out of Kansas state, Chris Harper, who at 6’1” and 235 lbs., this is a wide receiver that simply doesn’t go down with an arm tackle and even if you’re lucky to get your hands on him, he’s more likely to drag you down the field for 20 yards as he is to hit the ground. Harper isn’t a track speed type receiver, but he’s fully capable of playing the X receiver in the spread offense. He ran a 4.45 second 40 at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, so he has the speed to compete with the best corners in the game and his size gives him the ability to bully smaller corners and safeties. This guy has the build to play a full back on offense and linebacker on defense, but hasn’t sacrificed any of his speed after bulking up 25 lbs. in college. Pete Carroll was very pleased to see Harper catch passes and said that he has the soft hands necessary to play the X and the ability to run after the catch, even with DB’s hanging all over him. Sidney Rice had his first full season with Pete Carroll, avoiding serious injury for the first time since being a Seahawk. He had a respectable season leading the Seahawks with 51 catches, but the world-class speed that Sidney once had has passed him by after leg and shoulder injuries, combined with his age. It’s not that he’s slow, but working the X might be asking a little too much for him to do on a consistent basis. Last year, Seattle’s fastest receiver was Dion Butler, but he was waived in the off-season and has now signed with the San Diego Chargers. Butler had reoccurring injuries hampering his progress in Seattle and was ultimately let go. Doug Baldwin is also ideally a slot receiver working underneath and over the middle of the field with his small space quickness and ability to shed defenders, but doesn’t have the kind of speed to stretch the defense and take it off at the head.
So, Pete Carroll’s problem is that he has too many slot receivers and no true number one X. I’m sure Carroll Ann Schneider would love to have a weapon fast enough to burn past corners and safeties, utilizing that great deep ball that Wilson throws so accurately. However, the draft didn’t really have a player with that kind of speed that John and Pete liked enough to draft early or even in the middle rounds. Even Cordarrelle Patterson, DeAndre Hopkins and Justin Hunter don’t really have top speed like you see in players like; Mike Wallace, Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson. If they were drafted by the Seahawks, they would likely fit into Seattle’s offense in the slot or flanker positions. The Seahawks have a bevy of players with that description. But, the blazing speed, 6’4” receivers with great hands… There just simply weren’t any players in the free-agent market that Seattle liked enough to offer draft picks and a large portion of their salary cap surplus. Mike Wallace is certainly an attractive player and a constant the threat, but he has been somewhat inconsistent and not what Pete and John believe is worth $68 million, which is what it took for the Miami Dolphins to snag the former Pittsburgh Steeler wideout.
So, what do you do with five slot style wide receivers? Great question and I wish I had a great answer, but perhaps there just isn’t a true X wideout for the final roster. Unless current speedy roster players; Phil Bates 4.49, Greg Hurd 4.47, Jermaine Kearse 4.43 or the fastest Seahawks WR Justin Veltung who runs the 40 in just 4.39 seconds. Unfortunately, the two fastest Seahawks receivers are a little vertically challenged. Veltung is just 5’10” and Kearse stands just 6’1” which isn’t particularly short per se, but not in the same class as the prototypical mold as in; Houston’s Andre Johnson 6’3”, Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald 6’3”, Atlanta’s Julio Jones 6’3”, Cincinnati’s AJ Green 6’4”, Tampa Bay’s Vincent Jackson 6’5”. Seattle has a few tall receivers like Sidney Rice 6’4”, Stephen Williams 6’5” and Greg Hurd 6’3”, but they either don’t have the speed (Rice) or are likely not make the final roster (Williams and Hurd). Any way you slice it, the Seahawks don’t have prototypical size and speed X receivers on the roster presently.
One thing is for certain; Pete Carroll and John Schneider aren't through looking for a legitimate deep threat to take this football team into the regular-season, deep into the playoffs and hopefully on to a Super Bowl. However, if you they're going to do it at this late stage of the off-season, it's going to have to be another diamond in the enormous landfill of undrafted players who might possess the size, speed and talent to make the Seahawks football team. Note: Just today, the Seahawks signed undrafted free-agent Arceto Clark, a 5’11” 180 lb. rookie wide receiver from Mississippi State. Of the 90 man roster that Seattle will take into their summer training camp, 14 of those players will be wide receivers. Pete and John are obviously not particularly thrilled with their entire receiving corps. Perhaps it’s better to say, they love the players they have, they just happen to be embarrassed with riches at the slot receiver position. Could there be possible trades made? Could Sidney Rice and his $8 million price tag be available? How about Golden Tate who is currently playing out the last year of his contract and is reportedly in a twist about the Seahawks trading for Percy Harvin, a better player who plays his position. Tate is a valuable athlete and has tons of potential as a receiver, a kick returner and flanker. It just so happens that the Seahawks chose to give security to Kam Chancellor to keep him happy on his final year of his rookie contract and last year, Earl Thomas was taking care of. Tate has been somewhat of a head case in his three years in Seattle, and made no effort to sound disgruntled as reporters informed him that the Seahawks just sold their first round selection and seventh in last April’s draft, and a third in 2014, plus a boatload of money, to a player who hasn’t played a single snap for the Seattle Seahawks and has zero ownership on this football teams rise to potential greatness. Tate has always seen life through Golden colored glasses, and if you think about it from his perspective for a moment, he might have a point. This is a business and sometimes teams have to make crappy, unpopular decisions. Carroll and Schneider’s mantra has been that they will take care of their own if they give themselves completely to their system. Tate’s road hasn’t been as smooth as Earl Thomas’ or Kam Chancellor’s, but he did have a good year in 2012 and definitely contributed to a football team that no one thought would be 24 seconds from a divisional playoff victory in Atlanta against the number one seed in the NFC. Golden Tate made several memorable plays last season, and you can bet he thinks he’s a “Made Seahawk”. Exchanging Tate for a true speedy receiver might not be such a bad idea; or maybe a linebacker or left tackle to back up Breno Giacomini. During a press conference today broadcast by KJR Sports Radio 950 AM, HC Pete Carroll confirmed rumors that Giacomini missed practice today while in New York having his knee examined for a possible surgical procedure. Giacomini and his physician decided that invasive action wasn’t necessary at this time. Carroll mentioned that Giacomini could have practiced today, but collectively they decided it was best to have him examined before the ensuing training camp began. Carroll played down any possible misconception that Giacomini was in danger of missing training camp or the beginning of the regular season. Still, when you have an overabundance at one position, things can be done and Schneider is just the kind of GM to think outside the box and bring in the kind of help Seattle could use to fill an integral position in the passing game. Now, the difficult part is to find one you like and a team that willing to part with a player that nearly every team would like to have. One other thought, Brandon Lloyd is still sitting at home with an empty dance card. His price might be too much, but to play on a great team with the possibility of playing in the Meadowlands in February, might be an attractive selling point for the former Ram and Patriot.
Just saying…
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