Small risk vs. potential big reward, Ellison claimed

Posted by DHarp75 on June 23, 2010 under PartyHawks Central | Be the First to Comment

He played for USC and he’s had off-field issues, so Kevin Ellison had all the prerequisites to be tossed onto the Hawks’ roster by coach Pete Carroll.

OK, that’s a little flip. Ellison was actually a very wise pick-up who could help the Seahawks immediately.

A sixth-round pick out of USC by San Diego last year, Ellison was impressive as a rookie, eventually earning the starting job the second half of the season. He was often-injured while with the Trojans, which led to his draft stock plummeting. But he’s also a hard hitter who could provide a physical presence the Hawks’ secondary is SORELY lacking.

All those big hits and bumps and bruises apparently led to a fondness of Vicodin, as Ellison was caught with more than 100 pills this offseason. The arrest and controversy eventually led to the Chargers dumping him this week.

The Hawks could be the beneficiary if Ellison can learn the playbook. Deon Grant was cut loose, leaving Jordan Babineaux, who can’t cover well enough to be a starting corner or tackle well enough to be a starting safety, and aging Lawyer Milloy as the likely candidates on the strong side if rookie Earl Thomas takes over at free safety (looks unlikely to play corner at this point). Rookie Kam Chancellor is probably a year away from being a factor on the defense.

So the Hawks potentially filled a significant area of need by bringing Ellison on board – if he fulfills more of his potential and less of his prescription drug bottles.