Thursday, March 14, 2013

Magic! Seahawks Sign Avril for 2 Years/15 Million


Just when you thought you couldn't possibly love John Schneider and Pete Carroll any more than you already do, they go and pull this stunt.  Reports surfaced last night that Free Agent Defensive End Cliff Avril was on a plane to Seattle to visit with the Seahawks.  On the surface, it seemed like a token visit to possibly help generate some interest for the former Lion.  In what seemed like 20 minutes though, news broke that Avril had already signed with Seattle!  There go John and Pete again with their patented "cobra strike!"  

The only explanation I have for all of this is that Avril, much like Matt Flynn last season, didn't see the market play out for him the way he and his agent had expected it to.  Last season, Avril refused to sign the Lions Franchise Tender last season of 10.6, missing 8 days of camp before finally reporting and signing on the dotted line.  Prior to that, Avril rebuffed the Lions attempts to sign him to a 3 year/30 million dollar extension.  Now, he's signing in Seattle for 7.5 million per season.  It could be bad business on the part of Avril's agent, or it could be a sign that the tides are turning in the NFL.  The Seahawks are now among the "contenders" that NFL Free Agents want to play for and while they don't usually go down the FA road, Seattle's shown no hesitance to jump on a player receiving minimal interest at a bargain rate.

In Pete Carroll's end of the season press conference he mentioned the need to "bring in a couple of pass rushers."  Last season, he mentioned the need to improve the team speed on defense.  The two meet in the middle here as Avril has outstanding speed, running a 4.51 40 at the Scouting Combine in 2008 while standing 6'3" 260 pounds.  He's a bit undersized by normal DE standards, but in Seattle's 4-3 Under Defense he fits right in with the physical description of a Pete Carroll LEO.  Consider that current Seahawks LEO Chris Clemons stands in at 6'3" 255 pounds.  Perhaps the Seahawks see a bit of Clemons in Avril?  We'll see how Cliff holds up against the run, as that ability is what makes Clemons a great fit at LEO.  At the LEO, Avril will rarely see double teams from the TE/RT like he would as a Left Defensive End, the position he played primarily in Detroit.  

Of course we can't ignore the fact that Avril's sack totals may have been boosted by the presence inside of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.  This is probably true but now you have to also factor in the fact that he'll be playing with a much better secondary behind him than what he had in Detroit.  So those two factors should probably even each other out, the better secondary leading to more coverage sack opportunities, and we should expect his production to stay about the same.  Plus, playing in front of the CLink will definitely be a boost.  We heard Jason Jones (who ironically signed with Detroit yesterday as well) mention last year how playing in front of the 12th Man is definitely a benefit for a defensive lineman.  The same should hold true for the even speedier Avril.

What's especially interesting to me is that the two sides agreed to a two year deal.  Much like the "show me" contract the Seahawks have dished out to guy's like Jason Jones in the past, this two year pact allows Avril to reestablish his value on the market and possibly get an even bigger contract when this one expires, much like Jones was able to do.  Those worried about the Seahawks dolling out tons of cash and thus being unable to re-sign their own guys when their contracts are up need not worry because Avril's contract will be off the books by then.  John Schneider has being a great NFL GM down to a science.

What's next for the Hawks?  They still need some help at DT, specifically the 3-Tech.  I wouldn't be surprised if Alan Branch were brought back in the near future.  If the price isn't right with Branch, there's a plethora of DT's still on the market although at that point Seattle might just decide to turn to the draft.  Amobi Okoye is a guy I'd love to see the Hawks take a chance on.  A former 1st round pick, Okoye entered the league at just 19 years old with Houston and posted 5.5 sacks in his rookie season for the Texans.  That's excellent production from a 19 year old adjusting to the NFL and it shows the promise Okoye once had.  Seattle has had success resurrecting fallen prospects careers in the past, could Okoye's revival be in the cards?

It's definitely an exciting time to be a Seahawks fan, even if the team will be absent during Day 1 of the draft.  With the way things are going in Seattle right now, Seahawks fans need to be on red alert.  You just never know what John Schneider and Pete Carroll might decide to do next!

Welcome to Seattle, Cliff!

  

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