The Seattle Seahawks are not done with gathering wide receivers. I find it hard to believe that they will not add another veteran at some point.
Head coach Pete Carroll is quite open about Antonio Brown and / or Josh Gordon who have very viable options for them at the right time – Brown is facing a suspension of eight games, while Gordon is looking for the league again – and consider Quarterback Russell Wilson also full on board.
I had the chance this week to do a one-on-one Zoom interview with Wilson, and came away immediately convinced that the Seahawks are not yet done trying all-in to win another Super Bowl this season. While Wilson generally looks at his words very closely, and is never one to rock the boat, I could not help but walk away from our conversation, convincing him that he is also a little surprised by the fact that he has never been an MVP -vote got (“Maybe one day I’ll get one,” he shook for a moment).
And one could not help but think that Wilson has heard the pleas from oh so much in the analytical community to “Let Russ cook” more about early downs and early in games, when the Seahawks have been very conservative with it play calls.
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Wilson was effusive in his praise of his current group of offensive weapons – tight end Greg Olsen might be in his final season, but deserves rave reviews – but the QB was also animated by the prospect of adding Brown and / or Gordon to ‘ and mix.
“Josh came in with us last year,” Wilson told me, “and he had such tremendous energy in terms of how much he loves the game. I pray for him all the time. That’s my husband and hopefully he can the league again, because I know he’s a very, very special person who went through a lot and he lost his brother last year.He had a pretty hard year, and at the same time some of the plays that he can make, man, he was one of the best receivers in the game.He hit us really early when we could get the ball in front of him.
“And then, Antonio, I was able to work out this offseason with him and he’s one of the best receivers of all time. So if you can get a man like that, you’re always interested in that, for sure. We want playmakers. for sure.And the more game-makers you get, the harder it is [to defend]. “
With the array of options to call for possibly expanding football even further, it’s fair to wonder if the scope of Seattle’s offensive might be the same. Could this finally be the time when the Seahawks come out and shake the ball, use the pass to further secure the run, and show a more dynamic approach to opposing defenses? Will they let Russ cook more?
“It’s not just about me, it’s about all the weapons we have,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of great weapons, apparently, DK [Metcalf], Tyler [Lockett], Greg. Jacob Hollister had a great year last year. Chris Carson can catch. We have a lot of players who can really play ball. [Will] Dissly had a great year last year until he got hurt.
“We lit up the scoreboard, and we did it in a lot of different ways. You know I went to Wisconsin, so I can not care to give it up. But at the same time, I also like to have the ball in your hands. and make plays, to be honest with you. “
Wilson deserves serious MVP attention every year, and perhaps this year his mood will reflect his greatness. Over the past three seasons he has thrown 100 touchdown passes (15 more than anyone else in this team) after just 23 interceptions (tied with Tom Brady for the first time with a 1.5 interception%), but is still only eighth in passing attempts since 2017, behind guys like Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr and Philip Rivers. Wilson has proven to be worth at least 10 wins per season, and never misses a snap while being one of the most useless QBs in NFL history. Come on, Seahawks: Let Russ cook!
Matt Rhule could surprise
This is a less than ideal training camp scenario for any coach, let alone any rookie NFL head coach. Even more, perhaps, for a coach who is making the leap from high school who hasn’t been that much into pro play in recent years.
However, all this will only serve for Matt Rhule to look even more like a unicorn than he already is. After wandering around the temple, and literally recording the football program at Baylor, he has seen smarter tasks than this before. Everyone I talk to, who knows him well or has coached or played for him, smells about his ability to create and build a foundation slowly, and even this COVID-19-challenged NFL summer , I believe, will serve to bring out the best in the Panthers head coach.
Accounts Left Approach Dion Dawkins has a unique perspective on reconstruction; he was there at Temple as a player because Rhule made his mark on that program, and he ended up in the NFL with Buffalo, first seen as coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane, who came from Carolina. the Bills made from playoff -observe after to an ongoing team in short order
I caught up with Dawkins recently, after signing his big contract extension with Buffalo, and here’s what he had to say about Rhule, and the similarities with what happened to the Bills:
“Yeah, it’s so scary how it is, from college to the pros with my coaches,” Dawkins told me. “When I look at McDermott, I see Matt Rhule from high school. He came in, he sorted out everything he had to look out for, he ran around pieces, he made everything fit in some kind of good way for it to work. And the boys who could shop here would be here, and the boys who were not, it’s. It’s just extremely scary how similar.Even in Temple it took a few years to get this thing going, and then it came to pass that we were gone. “
Dez makes sense for Ravens
Dez Bryant was still able to make sense in the tight end of Baltimore at one point or another, though he left his workout Thursday without making a single deal. From what I gather it was a solid enough training, but not one where Baltimore felt the need to share a boy now to sign him. “Just seeing where he is and keeping our options open,” is how one team source described it.
At this stage of his career it is about intermediate routes and boxing and using his frame and being like a power forward to get a lob in the paint to move the chains. The Ravens treated Hayden Hurst and were short on tight ends, often deploying two and even three at a time. Dez is strong and willing, and they already have a bunch of little twitchy guys.
As a secondary option in the red zone and a hybrid motion tight end / WR, I like it a lot. If he doesn’t stop, no big deal. No risk. Plus, Willie Snead was the dean of that position group, and he’s all 27 years old. The tight ends are pups too. Give Lamar Jackson a legal veteran presence among the passersby. Dallas receiver coach David Robinson has worked with Bryant for years and prepared him for training. Robinson has worked extensively with Ravens rookie receivers Devin Duvernay and James Proche, as well as with Ravens backup QB Robert Griffin III, and has a strong knowledge of Baltimore’s offense.
“He’s going to give you a big goal down the middle,” Robinson told me, “especially for a team that likes to spin the ball and use a lot of tight ends like Baltimore, you’ll see him in a lot of man-to-man matchups, and he’s going to do a great job of winning those 50/50 jumps, comebacks, out routes, stops – things he was asked to do in Dallas and make a living from. I think this is a great situation for him here in Baltimore. ”
More NFL insider notes
- No one knows recipients – how to identify and implement and train them – like 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, but the rate of attrition in this camp already at the position gives me some pause. Too many counts on too many kid wideouts can be dangerous, and sometimes when injuries start this process by a position group, it does not run up during the season either. Could see claims for exemptions and signing to get to that spot for the reigning NFC champions …
- Everything from Cleveland seems to point to a monster season for Odell Beckham Jr. I would at least not bet against it …
- Not sure what Joe Judge is trying to prove in New York, but he is soon traveling a path paved with past failures. Everyone knows you worked for The Hoodie. And everyone knows it does not really matter anymore. Uber discipline and why coaches and players run gassers and take down the name of the practice jerseys if you do not even have the chance to find out who everyone is is not yet too dear to the half. Drawing attention to yourself is not the way to go, especially not in Gotham and especially not with the Frankenstein grid you have. Less is more …
