Posted by DHarp75 on September 4, 2010 under PartyHawks Central | 
T.J. Houshmandzadeh was given the boot, even with the Seahawks thin at receiver and still on the hook for the majority of his $7 million salary.
So Mr. and Mrs. PartyHawk spend a few days in the hospital welcoming in the newest PartyHawk to the world, and all hell breaks loose while we’re gone.
Anyone who has asked me about Pete Carroll has received a standard “cautiously optimistic” response. As for GM John Schneider — never been a big fan, and the moves he and Carroll are continuing to make are enough to make even the most diehard Seahawk supporter extremely anxious.
On Saturday alone, the team released WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh and watched venerable offensive line coach Alex Gibbs resign.
Releasing T.J. insinuates he continued to be an issue off the field – at least we hope so, because otherwise it is the second mind-numbing move of the week (trading starting cornerback Josh Wilson for a fifth-round pick boggles the friggin’ mind). Housh is due $7 million this season, and Seattle will still have to pay him whatever his new team doesn’t. So, assume his new team signs Housh for the veteran minimum – Seattle is on the hook for the rest. And it leaves three-time NFL loser Mike Williams as a starter and unproven Deon Butler and Golden Tate with very significant roles.
Losing Gibbs might be the biggest red flag yet. He was brought in to teach the zone-blocking scheme, and departs eight days before the start of the season. Unless there’s something health related we don’t know about, Gibbs either didn’t believe in the direction Seattle is going or clashed with those in the front office – both of which are very disturbing options. He was the lone hire during the offseason that we felt really good about. Now even that silver lining has left the building.
The trade for Eagles offensive lineman Stacy Andrews was a decent move to patchwork a potentially frightening tackle situation if Russell Okung isn’t ready for the regular-season opener, especially after Ray Willis was placed on injured reserve.
All of these items are worth of their own blog post or three – but since we’re on the two-hour feeding rotation schedule with the newborn, we’ll leave off with this 10,000-foot view for now.
Tags: Alex Gibbs, Deon Butler, Golden Tate, John Schneider, Josh Wilson, Mike Williams, Pete Carroll, Ray Willis, Russell Okung, Sean Locklear, Stacy Andrews, T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Posted by DHarp75 on August 26, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
The Seahawks are putting rookie Earl Thomas in a difficult starting spot.
Rookie free safety
Earl Thomas has noticeably struggled during the preseason, several times showing up a step late in deep coverage. It’s enough to give any Seahawks fan indigestion and concern that the team might have blown a first-round draft pick.
But remember, safety is one of the most difficult positions to start at as a rookie. One of the quarterbacks of the defense, every mistake is magnified because blown coverages are seen by the naked eye. And with complex passing schemes with multiple movement so en vogue in the NFL, rookie safeties are prime to be exploited.
So, yes, Thomas is going to suffer through his rookie struggles. But the Seahawks are hoping he can learn enough on the fly not to cost them too many ball games – and considering the awful play of the safeties last year, he really can’t hurt the team any worse.
But to understand the plight of a rookie safety, consider this insight I ran across today from 49ers defensive coordinator Greg Manusky: “For me, safety’s take about three years until they develop and all of a sudden roll with the defense they’re in. Now if they mix-and-match and have different coordinators, that’s different. For the most part, it takes about three years for those guys to really start rolling and really start understanding the whole whereabouts of the passing game and the running game.”
So there you have it…
Posted by DHarp75 on under PartyHawks Central |
Vincent Jackson would add the vertical threat the Hawks' passing game desperately needs.
Signs indicate the Seahawks aren’t likely to land WR
Vincent Jackson, mostly because he’d be looking for between $25-30 million over the first three seasons. Sure, he’s one of the league’s top 10 receivings and Seattle could use his size, strength and speed, but he also has a long history off off-field problems, and that’s a boatload of money to commit.
What’s interesting is Yahoo! Sports is reporting Seattle is the only team to be given permission to talk to San Diego. Hard-nosed Chargers GM A.J. Smith has declined the handful of other teams that have called, which is a bit odd since there are no signs that Seattle and San Diego have even agreed to what the trade paremeters would be.
Don’t be surprised if this deal somehow comes to fruition. Smith isn’t going to roll over on Jackson’s contract demands, and he’s facing a three-game league suspension and a three-game team suspension – if he even reports. If traded to Seattle, Jackson could serve those suspensions concurrently and miss only three games.
Now, about that small money issue…
In other news:
–WR Mike Hass continues his roster yo-yo ride, being released again this week.
–LT Russell Okung has a high ankle sprain, but there is outside hope he could be ready by the season opener. “Ready” is a matter of perspective, since he has only two preseason games of NFL work in, and playing left tackle as a rookie is hard enough, much less with precious little experience while rushing back from a slow-healing injury. If not, Sean Locklear would likely move from the right side to the left until Okung is ready.
Posted by DHarp75 on August 22, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
Can Brandon Jones recapture the upward momentum he had before a disastrous 2009 in S.F.?
In a seemingly never-ending quest to give a player a second, third, fourth or fifth life in the NFL,
the Seahawks have reportedly signed WR
Brandon Jones.
Jones signed a five-year, $16.5 million deal with the 49ers last year, but was injured in training camp and fell off the radar in the team’s offense. He played in eight games and caught just one pass. But he’s still a young receiver with good upside. The 49ers gave Jones that huge contrat after he caught 112 passes for 1,380 yards through his first four NFL seasons with Tennessee.
He spent his first four seasons with the Tennessee Titans and caught 112 passes for 1,380 yards. Jones is only 27, and at 6-1 and about 215 pounds, he had good size.
So now he joins a long list of talented players left for scrap by other NFL teams. Mike Williams, Kevin Ellison, Kentwan Balmer, Leon Washington, Tyjuan Hagler … it looks like Seattle is taking the route of “sign as many as possible and if 2-3 work out, it was a great low-risk gamble.”
Posted by DHarp75 on August 20, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
Vincent Jackson would add the vertical threat the Hawks' passing game desperately needs.
The Seahawks missed out on
Brandon Marshall, but they have another shot at adding a true No. 1 receiver before the season starts. They’ve been given permission to talk contract with Charters WR
Vincent Jackson,
according to Yahoo! Sports.
At 6-5, 230, Jackson is a rare commodity in the NFL – a big, tall receiver who has the speed to stretch the field. He’s exactly what the Seahawks’ offense is lacking … and Seattle has a legitimate shot at prying him away from San Diego.
That’s because Jackson is doing everything he can to incinerate the bridge as he forces his way out of town. He has refused to sign his one-year tender, angry the Chargers haven’t signed him to a long-term contract. So he has threatened to sit out the first 10 weeks of the season, reporting only for the minimum amount of games required in order to accrue a season toward free agency.
Of course, that type of attitude, along with a slew of minor off-field issues, should throw up a significant red flag. But hey, watching a pair of divas in Jackson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh would at least be entertaining during another losing season.
What will it take to land Jackson? Miami gave up a pair of second-round picks for Marshall, so that’s the starting point – if a contract can be reached. And remember, the Seahawks have already established a line of communication with San Diego dating back to the Charlie Whitehurst trade.
Posted by DHarp75 on August 18, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
Lawrence Jackson can wave a flag. The Seahawks can wave good-bye.
In the latest blight against the resume of former GM
Tim Ruskell, 2008 first-round pick
Lawrence Jackson is the latest Seahawk to be banished to Detroit.
Too small to be a dominant force against the run and too inconsistent to put in a pass-rushing role, even being a former player for Pete Carroll at USC couldn’t save Jackson. He had just 6.5 sacks in three seasons with the Seahawks, who drafted him 29th overall even though most NFL teams had him rated as a late second-round pick.
When Seattle acquired Kentwan Balmer on Monday, Jackson became even more expendable. Ironically, Balmer was selected one spot in front of Jackson in 2008 and has been an even bigger bust so far.
So off goes Jackson to Detroit, where he’ll be reuinited with a bunch of former Seahawks including Nate Burleson, Julian Peterson, Rob Sims, Mo Morris and Will Heller.
Posted by DHarp75 on August 17, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
It’s almost like John Schneider would go into convulsions if he went 24 hours without making a handful of transactions. So on Tuesday the Seahawks cut veteran third-down back Adrian Peterson to create room on the 80-man roster for Kentwan Balmer, who was acquired from San Francisco on Monday.
The team also signed Clint Stitser, a journeyman kicker who was basically brough in as a camp leg Olindo Mare is the unquestioned kicker going into this season, and the Seahawks simply want to manage his workload. Stitser was canned by the Jets after a poor showing during their offseason program.
Posted by DHarp75 on August 16, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
We're showing a picture of Balmer from his UNC days because he hasn't done squat in the NFL.
If only a few of
John Schneider and
Pete Carroll’s low-risk gambles pay off, the Seahawks will have significantly upgraded their athletic talent this year.
The latest castoff to join Seattle’s burgeoning list of high draft pick busts, character red flags and various other physically talented but NFL never-were’s is Kentwan Balmer. A 2008 first-round pick by San Francisco, the 49ers wanted to get rid of him so badly that they traded him within the division for a measley sixth-round pick.
The 29th overall pick in 2008, Balmer has yet to start an NFL game. And he sealed his fate in San Francisco by leaving training camp last week to deal with NCAA allegations that he paid for plane flights for some former teammates that now has North Carolina, and top draft prospect Marvin Austin in hot water.
Balmer failed to return to the team, and even reportedly gave back some of his signing bonus to get shipped out of town. He’s a big body and a potential much-needed run-stuffer along the interior of the defensive line. But that’s all Balmer has ever been in the NFL – potential. His work ethic is questionable, and he hasn’t registered a single sack in his NFL career.
But hey, it’s certainly worth a sixth-round draft pick. And if Balmer doesn’t prove himself quickly, he won’t even make the final roster.
In scrub watch news:
–WR Marcus Maxwell had his contract terminated from injured reserve with an injury settlement Friday (Aug. 13).
–FB Ryan Powdrell was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement Friday (Aug. 13).
Posted by DHarp75 on August 12, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
LeRoy Hill's time in Seattle could be running short following a knee injury,
Already battling an uphill fight with the new coaching staff, LB
Leroy Hill suffered a sprained knee that will sideline him the rest of the month.
Hill got off to a very bad start with Pete Carroll & Co. with a domestic abuse incident that led to a one-game suspension to open this season. That came on the heels of last year’s marijuana possession charge, and Hill was banished from the team for most of the offseason.
By all accounts, Hill has kept out of trouble and worked hard during training camp – which is exactly what he needed to do to stay a part of the Seahawks’ 2010 plans. But the knee injury is a significant setback. Not only will Hill miss the entire preseason slate, but David Hawthorne now has the clear upperhand on the weak-side job.
Hawthorne was already pushing for the spot after filling in admirably for Lofa Tatupu last season. With the entire preseason to solidify his grasp on the spot, and with the Seahawks bringing in veteran Tyjuan Hagler this week, Hill’s roster spot is anything but guaranteed to be waiting for him when he’s ready to return to the field in September.
Hawthorne has shown plenty of promise and racks up tackles at an impressive rate. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are looking to get more of a pass rush from Aaron Curry, which had been more of Hill’s specialty in the past. So the writing appears to be on the wall that this knee injury might be the final straw for Hill’s tenure in Seattle.
Posted by DHarp75 on August 11, 2010 under PartyHawks Central |
Charlie Whitehurst might not have a legitimate shot at unseating Matt Hasselbeck during training camp – unless he gets a little help from his teammates. The Seahawks’ starting quarterback got tangled in the middle of one of several scuffles at practice Tuesday.
It’s good to see they’re working hard enough to be at their wit’s end. But you never want to see the guy in the red jersey – and the one that holds any hope of helping your team reach mediocrity this season – getting caught in the middle of a fracass involving a pair of 300-pounders.
