training camp 2012

TTown · Post #1 » by **TTown** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:28 am

less than two weeks till we open up camp! (july 27)

lots of good position battles to look forward to, namely our 3-way quarterback quandary. flynn? wilson? jackson? who knows! ... though i'd expect it to go in that order.

really want to see what we've got in robert turbin. i think he could be a perfect second option to lynch.

we cut mike williams a couple days ago. hard to see rice and baldwin not starting, but hopefully obu, tate, and butler provide a spirited battle for the #3.

who do we surround kj wright with? leroy was re-signed, but we did bring in ruud, we took bobby wagner in the 2nd round, and bruce irvin will should log some time as a hybrid olb/de. i saw korey toomer play a little college, i think he can join the rotation.

with as horrible as the mariners are again this year, july 27 can't come quick enough...

Post #2 » by **Sweezo** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:18 pm

TTown wrote:really want to see what we've got in robert turbin. i think he could be a perfect second option to lynch.

Or we may get to see what he looks like as a first option since Lynch could find himself in trouble since there's apparently a possibility he could be charged with DUI after an incident this weekend. I rarely bat an eye at most first offense DUIs [not that DUIs aren't a big deal, but I personally view them differently because I deal with them every day at work]...but then again, I'm not the NFL. And Lynch has been been suspended before for supposed criminal activity.

Post #3 » by **Bulltalk** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:23 am

To the crowd: Are you more excited to watch our defense or our offense this year?

asdf1223 · Post #4 » by **asdf1223** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:57 pm

Defense no question. We're going to play a lot of really good offenses this year and I want to see how they play against them. The team has talented pieces at every level and a lot of young talent that's going to have its first offseason as starters. Really excited at what they can do.

I'm just worried our offense is going to look a lot like the Cleveland game if Lynch misses games. Even if he doesn't I think he regresses a bit.

Post #5 » by **Sweezo** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 5:13 am

It's quiet around here, but I think it's time to get excited. It's the first day of training camp and listening to Rob Rang/Doug Farrar this morning with the action going on in the background at the VMAC was my cue to start paying attention again.

Bulltalk wrote:To the crowd: Are you more excited to watch our defense or our offense this year?

I am excited to watch the defense, nervous to watch the offense. There's so much uncertainty on the offensive end. Our QB could be one of three people. Our starting WRs are anyone's guess due to issues with health and inexperience. Our star RB could be suspended. Our 1st round OL pick from last season seems likely to miss the entire season. Will everything come together or is that simply asking too much right now?

As for the defense...why wouldn't anyone be excited to watch the defense?

The pass rush: Last season, our pass rush was fairly flat. Clemons led the way with 11 sacks, followed by L. Hill [4], A. Branch [3], and R. Brock [3]. Of those four players, only one was getting sacks at an elite level. Hill's a jack-of-all trades sort of LB. Branch is a stout DT built more to clog running lanes, and Brock was a good pass rusher who looked completely out of gas last season.

Now? Clemons is officially coming back...and looks to stay awhile. We added Bruce Irvin to rotate with Clemons and possibly use as a 4th LB or an extra end in a 5-2 look. Irvin and Clemons coming off the edge at the same time? Absolutely.

Plus we added Jason Jones, a DT who used to be a strong pass rusher before being moved to DE. And Rang/Farrar seemed very excited by Jaye Howard as a future Jones type.

Our LB corps is suddenly younger and athletic. Our DB corps remains young and athletic, with a several intriguing additions.

The offense is a big questions mark, but the defense looks like it has the potential to be something special. Something that could be the envy of many other team's fans across the league. A young, violent, well-coached, stingy group that absolutely no one is going to want to play when they are at home.

Post #6 » by **Sweezo** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 5:16 am

TTown wrote:really want to see what we've got in robert turbin. i think he could be a perfect second option to lynch.

One thing to potentially watch: Turbin's ability to hold onto the ball in the NFL. Those absolutely massive biceps of his make a great photo-op, but it makes me wonder if he'll have trouble holding onto the ball. First day of camp, and he bobbled a hand-off that Clemons knocked around for a fumble.

asdf1223 · Post #7 » by **asdf1223** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:47 pm

Lot of reports from the bloggers that Flynn had a real nice day. Hopefully someone can be passable QB. Line is spotty again, pass rush looks great and secondary is awesome as usual from the reports.

Post #8 » by **Sweezo** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:48 am

asdf1223 wrote:Lot of reports from the bloggers that Flynn had a real nice day. Hopefully someone can be passable QB. Line is spotty again, pass rush looks great and secondary is awesome as usual from the reports.

I noticed the same thing. It sounds like all three have struggled, but the reason for the struggles seem vastly different. What I've read leads me to believe the following: Jackson's hitting some deep passes but struggling with decision-making and not seeing all of the field. Wilson's learning, and having some issues seeing over the line. Flynn hasn't been hitting some people and is struggling with the deep pass.

Flynn's issues seem the most fixable, as he seems to have been the victim of some drops, route-running, and general lack of familiarity with his WR/TE. I think he has a chance to take a big step forward and I hope--I HOPE--the team gives him a chance instead of being fooled by Tarvaris' arm strength. I can live with a QB who struggles a bit with the deep ball if he makes good decisions, knows what he is doing, and can work all the other parts of the field.

lackeyde3 · Post #9 » by **lackeyde3** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:05 am

looking forward to seeing if our defense plays as well as they did last year, hoping it wasnt a fluke season for all the newbies and go on to be a top 10 defense again this year. LB group is still a big question mark, i think they will do better this year with the little bit of youth and speed they added but just how much better will they be?

on offense there are a bunch of question marks most notable would be QB of course, but in all honesty he just has to play game manager let the running game do the dirty work and be accurate enough off the play action pass to move the ball down field. im pretty sure flynn wins the job he sounds like a better decision maker than t jack... at least he better be.

lackeyde3 · Post #10 » by **lackeyde3** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:07 am

quick question, im a long time reader/poster on the blazers realgm, just realized there was a seahawks page... is it always this dead? seems like it goes weeks without any new posts

Brandon-Clyde · Post #11 » by **Brandon-Clyde** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 2:14 pm

lackeyde3 wrote:quick question, im a long time reader/poster on the blazers realgm, just realized there was a seahawks page... is it always this dead? seems like it goes weeks without any new posts

Realgm is primarily a basketball site. During the offseason the other sports forums are less active(pretty much dead) except for the draft. During the season activity will pick up

Post #12 » by **Sweezo** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:53 pm

Another interesting move as the Seahawks sign Braylon Edwards. So with Edwards and Bryant who have injury issues working against them but extremely high levels of talent. Our WR is such a grab bag that outside of Rice/Tate/Baldwin I really don't have a good feel for who will make the team and what the roles will be.

Brandon-Clyde wrote:Realgm is primarily a basketball site. During the offseason the other sports forums are less active(pretty much dead) except for the draft. During the season activity will pick up

Pretty much. Things will pick up as things start to happen. Also, this forum was a bit more active when the Sonics still existed. If/when the Sonics come back that will probably provide a boost over here too.

TTown · Post #13 » by **TTown** » Wed Aug 1, 2012 1:35 am

assuming good health, rice/edwards/baldwin is an intriguing wr trio.

Post #14 » by **Bulltalk** » Wed Aug 1, 2012 8:10 pm

lackeyde3 wrote:quick question, im a long time reader/poster on the blazers realgm, just realized there was a seahawks page... is it always this dead? seems like it goes weeks without any new posts

Yes, Realgm is primarily a basketball messageboard. Yes, it wlll pick up a bit now that training camp has begun. Also, the Seahawks' forum is the 7th most active forum among the 32 NFL team forums. So it could be a lot worse.

Post #15 » by **Bulltalk** » Sat Aug 4, 2012 8:20 pm

Does anyone truly think that the QB "competition" won't end up with Flynn as the starter, Wilson as the 2nd QB being groomed in the wings, and Tarvaris increasingly being marginalized? I suppose it could end up differently, but I just have a hard time seeing so.

Post #16 » by **Sweezo** » Sun Aug 5, 2012 10:16 am

Bulltalk wrote:Does anyone truly think that the QB "competition" won't end up with Flynn as the starter, Wilson as the 2nd QB being groomed in the wings, and Tarvaris increasingly being marginalized? I suppose it could end up differently, but I just have a hard time seeing so.

The rational side of me agrees. But then again, the same people who are in charge now are the same people that brought Jackson in to start last year. They know what he brings, what he doesn't bring, and they trotted him out there to try to lead this team to victory. Was that due to a believe in Jackson, or a lack of other [i.e. better] options on the roster?

Whitehurst was, unfortunately, terrible. He had some skills that made him interesting, but he also had weaknesses. Nearly every weakness Jackson had was also a weakness of Whitehurst: Bad pocket awareness, happy feet, questionable accuracy.

Portis was tantalizing to the fan base, but probably because he'd not had the chance to prove to us how unprepared he was. In truth, the odds are against Portis ever amounting to anything. Or perhaps more accurately, amounting to anything resembling a star QB in the NFL.

The career path he has taken is unusual to say the least, bouncing from college to college. He's not getting many reps this offseason and his reputation seems to be solidifying as that of a thrower as opposed to a passer. Sure, I would have liked to have given him some playing time at the end of last season, but mostly because I could not see Jackson leading this team anywhere and figured there was nothing to lose by starting Portis.

The team was, by and large, stuck with Jackson last year. While management could tout his toughness, arm strength, and understanding of ball security...I think they had to see the glaring holes in his game. That he hesitated under pressure and was unable to use the whole field. That he struggled with accuracy. That he struggled with clock management in important situations. I think this because the Seahawks spent a bunch of money and a high draft pick on two players who can use the whole field and can throw an accurate pass. Who seem to have that awareness that Jackson lacks.

Carroll/Schneider don't seem to 'whiff' much when it comes to player evaluation. It is hard for me to believe that the same coach who oversaw some of the best QBs in USC's history, and a GM who oversaw the drafting of a star QB at GB, are unable to come together and make a smart choice for their field general. It's hard to believe that they can find diamonds in the rough to build such a physical defensive backfield, cobble together a pastiche of offensive linemen who then execute Cable's zone scheme brilliantly, hoard stout DTs and speedy edge rushing DE, and not know what they need in a QB. They're too talented to get this decision wrong.

Deep down, I think the three-way competition is smart. As mediocre as Jackson is, he probably still earned the respect of the locker room last season by playing through a severe injury...while not dithering on about it whenever someone shoved a microphone in his face. As opposed to, oh, I don't know...a guy like Ben Roethelisberger who reminds you every chance he gets that he is playing through an injury.

This gives Flynn a chance to show his teammates he's earned the spot instead of having it handed to him. And it gives Wilson a chance to silence the draft-day critics. I don't think it's a legitimate 3 way competition technically as I don't think Wilson has a chance--yet. To start Wilson and bench Flynn/Jackson would be so risky. If Wilson succeeds, then they look like geniuses. But if he fails? By that point Flynn/Jackson seem largely marginalized.

Pre-season may seem meaningless to many, but I think it's hugely important for us. Pete's indicated he wanted to name a starter after the second pre-season game, and I think he means it. Practices and drills only show so much, and preseason is as close as we can get to an actual NFL game.

TTown · Post #17 » by **TTown** » Sun Aug 5, 2012 11:04 pm

i always thought bringing in tavaris last summer was the first sign of full-on tank mode. of course, upsetting the giants in new york and a strong middle/late season push killed that.

seriously, tavaris jackson at 25 or 26 years old (however old he was last year) wouldn't have finished on any Pac-12 All-Conference team. damn that defense.

Post #18 » by **Sweezo** » Mon Aug 6, 2012 3:47 am

TTown wrote:i always thought bringing in tavaris last summer was the first sign of full-on tank mode. of course, upsetting the giants in new york and a strong middle/late season push killed that.

If it hadn't been a lockout year, where the team was just bringing in a new offensive co-ordinator, I don't think the Seahawks bring Jackson.

I completely buy the idea that PC/JS thought pairing Jackson with Bevell and Rice would reduce the learning curve most FA QBs would have to go through, allowing time for the OL to learn Cable's system with the intention of leaning towards the run as the season wore on. The success of the team was placed in the hands of the defense/ST.

And in that regard, I think they were right. Jackson knew the offense. And the line/running game did come together over time; Lynch never carried the ball more than 20 times in the first six games last year [during which time he averaged 43.8 RPG], then he had only ONE game with less than 20 carries the rest of the way [a 104.5 RPG average].

Unfortunately the combination of Rice's injuries and Jackson's limitations negated whatever advantage his prior knowledge would've brought us.

Post #19 » by **Danny Darko** » Mon Aug 6, 2012 5:30 pm

the only tough question for me early this season will be do we keep TJ as a quality backup or not. Flynn pretty much has to get a shot early on as the starter, but I'm sure they really love Wilson, so does he go down to 3rd on the depth chart and lose reps because TJ is one of the better backups in the league or does his potential to be the best choice for a star QB trump the insurance policy?

btw just Nowens to Owens.... yikes Pete.

Post #20 » by **Sweezo** » Tue Aug 7, 2012 12:46 am

My God...we just signed Terrell Owens to a one year deal. Did the team get caught completely offguard with their WR depth entering training camp? Seeing the team sign Braylon Edwards, Terrell Owens, and Antonio Bryant [who has since been waived], I have to wonder what's going on.

Rice is still wearing a red no-contact jersey and hasn't been fully integrated into practices yet. Maybe the team doesn't think he's close?