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| Hustle Wilson's so elusive, even the cameraman can't catch him! |
Ironically enough, yours truly, much like a huge chunk of the Seahawks roster, was forced to miss the action at Carlow East with an injury. Reports say that Pete Carroll wanted to take it easy with Barrionuevo, considering the grueling gauntlet of games he's going to attend in person later this season. "I've always preached, it's not how you start but how you finish. We truly believe in that around here and think David will come back and be able to do a really cool job for us", the iconic coach quipped. In his place, the Carlow East crowd was reportedly rocking and in mid-season form already. Tell me this fan-base isn't ready for a championship!
Not only was I out for the game and forced to watch from home, being from out of town means that NFL Network it was for random live look-in's of the game, scattered around various clips from other games going on around the league. Speaking of which, props to Pat White for making a few nifty plays in the clips they showed from the Redskins/Titans game. I liked Pat in college and don't think he'll ever be more than an acceptable backup quarterback in the league, but I like his style and the fact that he's been able to come back and possibly stick around. Good job Pat!
So with the deck stacked against me, I was still able to watch most of the game and came away impressed with quite a few players. In no particular order...
Stephen Williams - WR
I thought Williams had a phenomenal showing by a preseason game's standards. He had the two big receptions for touchdowns, should have drawn a pass interference call, and nearly hauled in another pass from Brady Quinn on 3rd down that he might think he should have had. He bounced back though and made John Schneider look right for being excited about him when they first picked him up off of waivers from Arizona. Could he be what Ricardo Lockette never turned out to be for the Hawks? Speaking of Lockette, NFL Network did cut to a play where he absolutely destroyed Broncos Punt Returner Trindon Holliday. It was a boneheaded play by Holliday to try and field the punt at his own 2, but Lockette still laid the wood and blew him up. What could have been Ricardo, what could have been... Anyways, Williams looks promising.
Allen Bradford - LB
Led the team in tackles but not only that, he was blowing people up out there! This guy's a pretty special football player if he can play both RB and LB at the NFL level, even if he isn't a star. I really hope he makes this football team though, because I like him a lot as a backup to Bobby Wagner. I love Heath Farwell, but I'd feel much more comfortable with Bradford in there rather than Heath. Heath's value lies in special teams, but he's probably going to feel some heat from John Lotulelei, the UDFA from UNLV, whose also shown to be a force on special teams so far, and might be the better option as a reserve linebacker. Tough decisions abound. Bradford eloquently stated his case though with a fine performance and a nasty one at that.
John Lotulelei - LB
Just mentioned him above, Lotulelei was active both on special teams and on defense last night. He might be a litle too aggressive at this point in his career, but his ability to be around the ball is pretty impressive, especially when you consider his stature. He's not the biggest guy the Hawks have at LB but he's definitely not afraid to play like he's bigger and throw his body around and dig through trash. Plus, he's the only long-haired guy on the team at the moment. Plenty of dreads, but we don't have our long-haired Islander. Lotulelei fits the bill and I hope he sticks for hair sake alone.
Tarvaris Jackson - QB
For merit's sake, my game-ball would go to TJack! It was great to see him sling the rock like that in his return to the Hawks. Brady Quinn looked solid but unspectacular and has earned some more looks in the hunt for the #2 job, but Tarvaris was just ice cold out there! He was unconscious, on fire, en fuego, you name it! He threw right, he threw left, he avoided pressure, he completed jump passes. This might be the only time this year that we see this type of performance from Tarvaris so I applaud the man for absolutely killing it last night. Man he was throwing a pretty deep ball! When Stephen Williams makes the final 53, he owes Tarvaris dinner for sure.
*Funny story, I overheard a fan say at Training Camp that he wanted to turn down an autograph from Tarvaris because "he's a nice guy, but he's a horrible player." Yeah, I bet that guy's feeling pretty dumb right about now. You better cherish that autograph, wherever you are! Bad form.
Jaye Howard - DT/DE
This might be the most exciting performance from last night because it comes at a position the Seahawks sorely need production from. Jaye Howard looked like a flat out monster most of the time last night, mostly lining up at the 3Tech but even kicking it outside at the 5Tech. Either way, he was wreaking havoc and creating pressure from either position. What was most impressive was that he actually looked really good against the run as well. Maybe that 15 extra pounds and being around Dan Quinn were good for the soul? Either way, Howard was playing like a man possessed. Time and time again he would just destroy the pocket almost single handedly, before turning up into the backfield to snuff out the play. If Howard were to be able to propel his game to the next level this season, it could go a long way in getting the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Rocky Bernard without the question mark in the run-stop department? Sure, I'll take it.
Michael Bennett - DT/DE
I'm really excited about Bennett. He's already become one of my favorite Seahawks with his awesome beard and laid back, realistic personality. On the field though, he's even more impressive. He was causing carnage out there. In my mind, he plays the game with the kind of nasty streak that Jason Jones lacked at times. Bennett is not only trying to erase the quarterback, but he's looking to snuff out the run as well, something Jones didn't always excel at. I think by season's end we'll be looking at this move as the steal of the off-season. Bennett's up there with Tate as my breakout (on a national level) performers from 2013.
Christine Michael - RB
You can definitely tell that this dude is one explosive mofo and that he can take it to another level extremely quickly. He didn't always follow his blocks, hit the correct gap, or even spin the right way sometimes but he definitely showed that in time he's probably going to be a fantastic running back in the NFL. He's got that rare size/speed combo that front office's drool over and luckily our guys are the ones that pulled the trigger on him.
Jordan Hill - DT
Another interior lineman who impressed last night for the 'Hawks. Maybe it was just the residual effect from Jaye Howard being such a badass, but Jordan Hill was getting into the backfield as well and making his presence felt. Just like with Jaye Howard, if he could develop right in front of our eyes this season, the Seahawks will have improved themselves at the 3Tech immensely in the course of just one off-season. We've seen them do that at other positions during the Carroll/Schneider era, but that doesn't make it any less amazing when it happens. What a great combo those two are. Thank you so much Pete and John!
Byron Maxwell - CB
Who woulda thought that Maxwell would turn in the finest performance from the secondary last night? Well, he did. He made an impressive play coming back to a ball and diving to intercept it, then having the presence of mind to get up and make a nice return out of it. He also had another pass where he was close to making a play on the ball and was stout in coverage most of the time he was out there. He was kind of a forgotten man at CB heading into this season but now he's probably giving the Hawks coaching staff some reasons to wonder if they should think about keeping 6 CB's this season.
Derrick Coleman - RB
Thomas Clayton 2.0? Another extra effort type of guy who not only ran the ball with authority, but also took an excellent angle en route to an outstanding tackle on a kick return late in the game. This dude gives it his all and makes the most out of his opportunities, weather it be blocking, running, or receiving out of the backfield. I'm glad he got that TD reception towards the end of the game to cap off his nice night.
Alvin Bailey - OL
One of the surprises of camp. I don't think anyone had any expectations for Bailey outside of maybe Bailey and Tom Cable. I kept an eye on him and most of the time he was getting a nice amount of push and occasionally wrecked his man off the line. Could he be another UDFA gem for the Hawks? I wouldn't doubt it at this point.
Benson Mayowa - DE
This guy is one of my ultimate favorite underdogs on this team. He's not from a traditionally dominant SEC school, no, in fact quite the opposite as he went to the University of Idaho. He also doesn't have the video game college stats or the eye-popping measurables. What he does have are some pretty decent pass rush moves. He's got some wiggle to him and I like the fact that he finishes the play and usually gets the sack. Lord knows we've seen so many guys get close over the years only for QB's to worm their way out of there and actually make something out of what should have been nothing. I don't know if Benson makes the team or not, but I would hope that he at least gets a chance to stick with the Practice Squad. Nice opening showing from Mayowa.
There were plenty of other players who had solid showings like Spencer Ware, Jermaine Kearse (what a camp he's having, huh?), and others. This wasn't the greatest barometer of where the team is at at this point in time because of the level of competition and the lack of any real production from the first units. You know that that's going to change. No, what this game demonstrated is that the Seahawks have an excellent understanding that in order to win it all in this league, you need depth, and not just warm bodies but quality depth.
Rest assured, there will be other teams lining up at the chance to pick up some of Seattle's leftovers.
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