Seahawks to face Raiders with questions still looming large

Graphic courtesy of Ryan Gray (@RGray525)

By Wyatt Lyles

The Seahawks will be taking on the Raiders in their final game of the preseason. There will be a lot of things to look out for in this game, so let’s get right into it.

While the QB controversy had been the biggest question going into games, a new, and perhaps more pressing, issue has come up. That issue is the one of the offensive line. I feel like I’ve been repeating the same things over and over the last couple weeks, but this is a big issue that needs to be worked on. I hope that at least some of the problems will be alleviated once Russell Okung is back into the line up, which looks like may be happening pretty soon here. But until then, there is some major work to be done.

Perhaps the person who’s got the most work to do is rookie right tackle James Carpenter. While he is a rookie and this has been an extremely short off season, there is a big concern with him. I could see if maybe he missed a few blocks here and there, but he got completely destroyed in last Saturday’s game against Denver. Guys were literally just blowing right past him, and knocking him around like he was some skinny kid on the playground. This is something that just can’t happen, an Pete Carroll has recognized this. This week at practice, as reported by Clare Farnsworth of the Seahawks Blog, Carpenter has been splitting reps with Breno Giacomini on the offensive line. This was a smart move as Carpenter just may not be cut out to be a starter just yet. I would say to start him tonight and see how he does. If he shows some improvement, let him start in the season opener against the 49ers. But, if he looks the same as he has been, then it may be time to bench him for now until he’s ready to be a starter. Look to see how the line does tonight. Will our QBs actually have time to throw the ball? We’ll find out soon.

Looking at the QBs briefly, Carroll has said that Tarvaris Jackson will be starting the game, but did not say how long he or any other starter will be playing. It had been speculated that the starters may play longer than usual to get them more reps in preparation of the season opener. Both Charlie Whitehurst and Josh Portis will make an appearance tonight as well, we just don’t know how long.

I won’t go into another discussion of the “QB Controversy” since that’s been hashed, and re-hashed enough already. I will say one thing, though. Some people have been saying all preseason that Whitehurst should be the starter for this team based on his performance in the first two games. When those people were reminded that he had only played against backups, they said that it didn’t matter and that Jackson perhaps wouldn’t be able to do the same against the backups. Well, last weekend, Jackson led a TD drive against the backups, and looked just as good as Whitehurst had against the backups. So some of those naysayers should have been silenced a bit after that.

Also look for what some of the young guys will be doing in this game. There’s a lot of guys, especially at the receiver position (Chris Carter, Patrick Williams, Doug Baldwin, Ricardo Lockette) and in the secondary (FS Mark LeGree, CB Byron Maxwell, SS Josh Pinkard, DB Jeron Johnson, CB Richard Sherman), that will be fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster that needs to be decided on by Saturday. So this is their last chance to make themselves stand out to the coaches. Hopefully they get a chance to play and showcase their abilities in this final game.

Let’s look at some of the injuries this week before we get out of here. Running back Marshawn Lynch (ankle) and linebacker David Hawthorne (knee) did not practice yesterday and have been pretty much ruled out for tonight’s game. The following didn’t practice yesterday, but haven’t been officially ruled out for the game: wide receivers Mike Williams (toe), Sidney Rice (shoulder), Ben Obomanu (head), and Isaiah Stanback (hamstring); defensive lineman Pierre Allen (hamstring), and strong safety Kam Chancellor (foot). We should know more about their official status for the game later on today.

Mainly for tonight, just look for the first team offense to get one last chance to find some cohesion and actually start to gel. This is the last chance they’ll have before the opener to get something going. Let’s hope we see something good out of them today.

If I ran the Seahawks draft.

By Patton Richard

If I were to run the Seahawks draft, it would look quite a bit different. Only one pick remained the same. Now, I understand the draft would change if I replaced who Seattle picked with someone who was taken later. However, this is just to see what could have happened.

Seattle pick #25: James Carpenter, OT, Alabama
What I Would Have Done: Trade with the Saints for #56 and 2011 first rounder).
New Orleans pulled off this trade with New England later, so I assume a similiar offer was on the table. I like Carpenter more than most but I still think getting a 2012 first is worth trading down 32 spots. When a team like Seattle has needs in many different areas, it'll be more than one year to fix them. If this trade wasn't available, I would have taken Jimmy Smith.

WIWHD: #56: Brandon Harris, CB, Miami
I know this isn't a prototypical Pete Carroll CB (Harris is 5-10) I think he's a 1st round talent. He would help out in nickel situations at the very least, and although you want more than that at this pick, but all the players I would have loved were taken right before us. Ben Ijalana (49), Da'Quan Bowers (51), Marvin Austin (52), Stpehen Paea (53), Jaiquawn Jarrett (54), Rodney Hudson (55)

Seattle pick #57: Trade with Detroit Lions (we received: 75 107 154 205 and we gave up: 57 157 209)
WIWHD: I still would have done this trade. I don't love who's left in this area.

Seattle Pick #75: John Moffitt, OG, Wisconsin.
WIWHD: Jurrell Casey, DT, USC.
I believe Jurrell Casey is a starter in this league, and I may have taken him at #56 if Harris wasn't there. Casey is a great fit for this defense and he's undervalued. I believe he's more of a playmaker than an all-around talent. However, this team needs both.

Seattle pick #99: K.J. Wright, OLB, Mississippi ST
WIWHD: Clint Boling, OG, Georgia
Clint Boling I have rated a round below Moffitt (whom I have as 2nd round value), but this is more in the range where I like to take guards.

Seattle Pick #107: Kris Durham, WR, Georgia
WIWHD: Edmond Gates, WR Abilene Christian
Edmond Gates I had rated as a 2nd round pick, and I can't believe he lasted this long. He's a burner who comes from the same school as Jonny Knox. Gates has okay size at 6'0 195lbs. I know Pete Carroll goes for the bigger WR types, but I think Gates is too good to pass up.

Seattle pick #154: Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford
WIWHD: Quan Sturdivant, OLB, North Carolina
I gave Sturdivant a 3rd round grade, which is why I'm confused he dropped to the 6th round. Sturdivant is a sure tackler with good athleticism (he came into college as a QB/S and transitioned into OLB).

Seattle pick #156: Mark Legree, S, Appalachian State
WIWHD: Mark Legree, S, Appalachian State
I would have taken the same guy, weird.

Seattle #173: Byron Maxwell, CB, Clemson
WIWHD: Greg Jones, OLB, Michigan State
Probably the most polarizing pick next to the quarterbacks was Greg Jones. Thought of as a first rounder coming into the year, his production did not meet the years previous.

Seattle #205: Lazarius Levingston, DE, LSU
WIWHD: Korey Lindsey, CB, Southern Illinois
Korey Lindsey is one of my absolute favorite players to watch. He plays mean, and he's aggressive and fast. He was physically imposing to all WR's that went against him (that's a bonus of playing at Southern Illinois). His ball skills are better than his cover skills right now, but he's very agile and quick and was one of my favorite prospects to watch.

Seattle #242: Malcolm Smith, LB, USC
WIWHD: Lee Ziemba, OT, Auburn
I think Ziemba is closer to a 5th rounder but I've heard bad things about his medicals. I'm assuming that's why he dropped so far.

Top UDFAs at each position:
QB: Pat Devlin (Delaware), Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M), Adam Froman (Louisville), Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin), Josh Portis (California PA), Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
HB: John Clay (Wisconsin), Derrick Locke (Kentucky)
WR: Terrance Tolliver (LSU), Jeff Maehl (Oregon), Darvin Adams (Auburn), Deandre Brown (Southern Mississippi), Tori Gurley (South Carolina)
TE: Weslye Saunders (South Carolina), Schuylar Oordt (Northern Iowa)
OT: David Mims (Virginia Union), Derek Hall (Stanford), Willie Smith (East Carolina)
OG: Zach Hurd (UConn), Justin Boren (Ohio State), Ray Dominguez (Arkansas), Carl Johnson (Florida)
C: Kris O'Dowd (USC), Zane Taylor (Utah), Alex Linnenkohl (Oregon State), Tim Barnes (Missouri)
DT: Martin Parker (Richmond), Ian Williams (Notre Dame), Cedric Thornton (Southern Arkansas)
DE: Ugo Chinasa (Oklahoma State)
OLB: Mark Herzlich (Boston COllege)
ILB: Mario Harvey (Marshall)
CB: Kendric Burney (North Carolina)
S: DeAndre Mcdaniel (Clemson), Jeron Johnson (Boise State), Joseph Lefeged (Rutgers), Nate Williams (Washington)

I would get on the phone and call: Jerrod Johnson, Derrick Locke, Terrance Tolliver, Deandre Brown, David Mims, Kris O'Dowd, Martin Parker, Mark Herzlich, Kendric Burney and any of the safeties. I think they can all play in this league.

Seahawks go offensive line again take Moffitt in third round

By Kshell

The Seattle Seahawks traded their second round pick(57th) to the Detroit Lions for the Lions third round pick(75th) and fourth round pick(107th) plus swapped their fifth and sixth round selections as well which the Seahawks in both rounds will have moved up in. When the dust settled from that trade the Seahawks got the guy Tom Cable wanted which was John Moffitt the 6'5" 323 pound guard from Wisconsin. The days of the Seahawks being the "little Ruskells" are long gone as John Schneider and Pete Carroll believe in getting guys with size. The Seahawks are finally taking care of the offensive line problems. Like I wrote yesterday the Seahawks selected James Carpenter in the first round along with Russell Okung last year. The Seahawks are trying to make sure they never have a season like last year again where there was so many different offensive line changes.

When the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl in 2005 it didn't matter who the running back was. Every team in the league knew on third and short the Seahawks would run the ball behind Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson. The Seahawks were 100% on the year on converting third and shorts that season. Then Ruskell let Hutchinson walk as a free agent to the Minnesota Vikings instead of franchise tagging him. The Seahawks have not produced a one thousand yard rusher since then. The Seahawks didn't have a single 100 yard rusher in a game last year in the regular season. As was proven with Shaun Alexander in 2002-05 and then from 2006-2007 the offensive line means everything. With a good offensive line all of a sudden your quarterback and running back look better. The Seahawks are hoping with these last two years worth of drafting that the offensive line can go from a weakness to a strength.

I like what the Seahawks are doing in the Schneider and Carroll regime. I also think trading down was the smart move there too. By trading down you picked up an extra fourth round pick and you got the guy you wanted anyways. Going into the draft Cable told Schneider Moffitt and Carpenter were the two guys he wanted so that is who the Seahawks drafted. With a good offensive line Marshawn Lynch can finally turn into "beast mode" this year. Hard to judge Lynch last year when he was blown up everytime he touched the ball. The offensive line this upcoming year will get a healthy Okung, Unger back from injur and now with these two draft picks the Seahawks are fixing an area of concern. The Seahawks have plenty of weaknesses but with a good offensive line everyone else on offense looks better.

Overall, the Seahawks are doing what I've wanted them to do which is address the offensive line problem. Had Earl Thomas not fallen in their lap last year I would have liked to seen them go offensive line there too. Schneider is announcing in a very loud way that the "little Ruskell's" era is officially over. Now on those third and one's in the near future as a fan I can feel confident that the Seahawks will get those tough yards. In the NFL the difference between winning and losing is so close that little things like moving the chains is the difference between drafting in the top 10 or winning the super bowl. The Seahawks won't win the Super Bowl based on this draft but so far like last year it appears the Seahawks have a nice philosphy. The Seahawks are wanting to get bigger and it all starts with line play. With good line play the Seahawks are hoping to get back to the forumala that worked so well in 2005. I'm glad to see the Seahawks go with offensive line this year. Finally a general manager in Seattle who finally understands football is a great sigh of relief after the Ruskell years.

Seahawks take Carpenter with 25th pick overall

By Kshell

The Seattle Seahawks failed to make a trade to get out of the first round. Instead Pete Carroll and John Schneider decided to take offensive tackle James Carpenter out of Alabama. Carpenter is 6'4" who weighs 320 lbs and will be a welcome addition to the Seahawks who had problems with the offensive line. Under Tim Ruskell the Seahawks took just two offensive lineman in the first three rounds in his five seasons as general manager for the Seahawks. Already John Schneider has taken an offensive lineman in the first round back to back years. The last time the Seahawks too offensive lineman in back to back first rounds was in 2000 and 2001 when they took Chris McIntosh(bust) and Steve Hutchinson(all-pro). As you can see those picks had extreme results. With former Raiders head coach Tom Cable hired as the offensive line coach there will be a big emphasis on offensive line play this season. The Seahawks instead of taking a running back or a quarterback chose to go "boring" by taking an offensive lineman. I actually like that they are committed to the offensive line.

The Seahawks had problems running the ball last season. Well you can blame the running back or you can look in the mirror and realize the offensive line wasn't very good. The Seahawks are hoping with Russell Okung at left tackle for the full season to go with Carpenter at right tackle will fix that. The Seahawks if they re-sign Spencer and sign Raiders guard Robert Gallery to go with a healthy Max Unger all of a sudden won't have a terrible offensive line. When the Seahawks made the Super Bowl in 2005 they made it because their offensive line was the best in the NFL. The Seahawks under Ruskell neglected that position so it's good to see the Seahawks finally realize that offensive line is very important. You want a better running game? Well open up some holes and you'll see results. Shaun Alexander wasn't the best back but he had great holes so he put up huge numbers. If you don't have a good offensive line it is hard to win in the NFL.

All in all, I don't have much of an opinion because I don't really know about Carpenter. I heard he is great at run blocking but isn't athletic as a pass blocker. The good news is he is a right tackle so I can't see him being any worse than Sean Locklear. I'm just happy the Seahawks are finally picking offensive line again. It is good to get back to the offensive line and be a physical football team who can run for those third and one's. It will be fun to see in a few years that the Seahawks will have a good offensive line. I'm disappointed the Seahawks don't have an answer at quarterback but no sense reaching for a guy who isn't that franchise guy. Yes the Seahawks went boring with this pick but I think you need a good offensive line to be successful in the NFL. Here is hoping the Seahawks return back to the 2005 days where we had the best offensive line in the NFL. This was just one step in that direction which shows Scheinder is already taking care of the offensive line problems that Ruskell had neglected.

Patton's NFL Draft Chat