Pretty straight forward article on Seahawks building process

[HumanCockroach]

http://www.fieldgulls.com/seahawks-anal ... ug-baldwin

[c_hawkbob]

Great article.

[monkey]

Everyone focused on just one part of the offense's lack of spending, the line, (understandable) but as a whole, we pay less for our receivers, (though that will likely change if they extend Doug) and once Marshawn's salary is off the books, will also pay less for our RB's than most teams do.
Even after the big contract for Wilson, it's already getting looked at as a team friendly deal, and will be completely eclipsed by Luck's contract when that gets done.
This team really is all about defense, and yet we've managed to put together one stellar offense on a shoe string budget. I am continually amazed by what Pete and John have done with this roster.


Until Pete Carroll decides he's too old to do this anymore, and retires, (and as long as Schneider stays with the team), we have a wide open window for championships, that is unusual for most NFL teams around the league. (The Patriots being the obvious exception and the team I hope we emulate/continue to emulate.)
We're going to win some more championships before this window closes, and I am really beginning to think/believe that this year will be one of them.
I am LOVING what they did in this last draft in terms of addressing the loss of Mebane with Reed, the loss of Marshawn with Collins, the loss of Jackson with Prosise, etc... and throw in what I feel is going to be a monster year for several second year guys (Lockett, Rawls and Clark), and that almost tangible feeling that was experienced by so many after losing to the Falcons in the playoffs, of, "Next year we're going to win it all", which is being voiced again this year, and yeah...I think that we're going to be this years Super Bowl champs again.

[SalmonBB]

Good article.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

[HumanCockroach]

If you include Graham in the "group of receivers" the Seahawks don't skimp on it, certainly as of now, they are top four on "QB spending"... The RBs are a "bargain" right now ( to be expected with a second year UDFA set to take the reins and a bunch of mid to late round picks behind him)...

Doubtful after Douggies 10 million a year contract is worked out, with Graham also bringing in that money that Seattle's receiver core will be anything but top tier in money spent on that particular group..

( 23+ million combined receivers + TEs. Good for 7th highest in the league. Without TE's ranked 24th for receivers only, until Baldwin gets resigned... Again though you have to take into account the youth of said receivers... Richardson, Lockett, Smith, etc are ALL still on rookie deals, some Undrafted deals, or even this years rookie a 7th round deal)

[Vegaseahawk]

It seems to me that ever since PC & JS have come to town, there always seems to be an area of the roster where they've been able to save money. This is directly tied to over performing rooks who can't be paid above a certain ceiling for their 1st years in the league, (RW, RS), etc. They take the money & pay FA's to complete the picture & achieve the "Win Forever" philosophy.

[RiverDog]

Until Pete Carroll decides he's too old to do this anymore, and retires, (and as long as Schneider stays with the team), we have a wide open window for championships, that is unusual for most NFL teams around the league. (The Patriots being the obvious exception and the team I hope we emulate/continue to emulate.)
We're going to win some more championships before this window closes, and I am really beginning to think/believe that this year will be one of them.
I am LOVING what they did in this last draft in terms of addressing the loss of Mebane with Reed, the loss of Marshawn with Collins, the loss of Jackson with Prosise, etc... and throw in what I feel is going to be a monster year for several second year guys (Lockett, Rawls and Clark), and that almost tangible feeling that was experienced by so many after losing to the Falcons in the playoffs, of, "Next year we're going to win it all", which is being voiced again this year, and yeah...I think that we're going to be this years Super Bowl champs again.

That's certainly the optimist's point of view. There's been a number of teams besides the Patriots that have had some pretty good runs in the past 10 years that have at least equaled what we've done, so what we've achieved so far is by no means novel. I do think that our window is wide open and likely to remain open for the next two or three years, but I'm not naïve enough to think that it's going to go on indefinitely. If one word sums up the NFL's motto (besides 'profit'), it's "parity."

The Patriots are a true anomaly, aided by the fact that since the arrival of Tom Brady, they've had the benefit of playing in one of the consistently worst divisions in football. The only years they've had any true interdivision competition was the first couple years of Buddy Ryan's tenure with the Jets.

[monkey]

If you include Graham in the "group of receivers" the Seahawks don't skimp on it,

True. I was forgetting about Graham's pretty large salary.
Actually, that makes this whole thing even more of a strange approach to building an offense when you think about it.
As you pointed out, we're getting a bunch of absolute bargains at RB right now, (and should for the next three to four years as most of our RB's are now rookies or second year), and yet, we're a run first team. There isn't a team in the NFL that really wants to run the ball more than the Seahawks.
Of course, the other part of a running game, is the offensive line, which, we are also paying rock bottom prices for.
It's got to be unusual for a team with such an emphasis on running the ball, to be paying next to nothing for a bunch of rookie or second year running backs, as well as an offensive line that is dirt cheap, the NFL's cheapest in fact.

It makes me wonder just how valuable Tom Cable really is.
A lot of fans are really down on him, because the line just doesn't pass block well at all. Cable coached lines never really do historically. And yet,in part because the line run blocks quite well, we've consistently had a top five offense. I know a lot of us fans have a beef with Cable, but I'm starting to wonder if he's not actually our most valuable coach...at least our most valuable position coach.
There's just no way we should be able to do what we're doing offensively with a cheap, poor pass blocking line, even with the great Marshawn Lynch running behind it. Even the use of read option with Russell (which certainly helps our running numbers, and our offense as a whole!) isn't enough to explain how our offense has put up the points it has recently, given the state of our line.
I really don't know the answer, I'm just throwing that out there as something to ponder...maybe Tom Cable is so good that Pete and John are relying on him to perform miracles with the crap he's given to work with (some of which no doubt is owing to his draft/free agent input), because they know he's good enough that they can play "Moneyball" with the offensive line. It's possible.

[HumanCockroach]

I truly believe that the success in the run game has quite a bit too do with how much easier it is to identify and develop that type of blocking than pass blocking...

Run blocking has a LOT to do with attitude, athletic strength and speed and desire, not as much "technique" and "refinement" necessary...

[monkey]

I truly believe that the success in the run game has quite a bit too do with how much easier it is to identify and develop that type of blocking than pass blocking...

Run blocking has a LOT to do with attitude, athletic strength and speed and desire, not as much "technique" and "refinement" necessary...

That's fair, and I think I agree, but it lends even more credence to my assertion that Pete and John are playing "Moneyball" with the line.
They are exploiting an undervalued talent on the line, (run blocking) and since running the ball is the primary focus of the offense, it allows us to go extremely cheap on the line, while retaining all those superstars on defense as well as a couple other offensive studs like Graham, all while paying for an elite QB.
So while us fans are grumbling over the state of the Oline, it's that state which allows us to keep this train going without getting derailed.
We may as well just get used to the fact that our line is never going to be a terrific pass blocking line, but it has been and will continue to be a TERRIFIC run blocking line. With Wilson as our QB, we can get away with that, especially now that he's trusting his reads better, and getting rid of the ball faster.
Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers have both played behind some pretty pathetic (though not as bad as ours) lines as well, (for some reason no one seems to bring that up much...) the difference is largely in the time that the QB's hold the ball. Rogers, during his first couple of seasons as the starter, got sacked a LOT. Much of that was due to playing behind a pathetic line, and just as much of that was due to holding the ball too long. Once Rogers stopped doing that, he still got sacked a lot, but far less, even though if anything, his line actually got worse. Why? He trusted his reads and got the ball out more quickly.
Tom Brady might be the best in the league, (arguably one of the greatest EVER) at making his read, and getting rid of the ball fast.
It's allowed him to stay upright despite some really rather putrid play from the O-Line. Whenever a team has been able to either deceive him enough to make him doubt his reads, or to get pressure on him even more quickly than he can get rid of it (the AFC Championship last year against Denver, or both of the Super Bowl losses to the Giants for example), he's looked much worse. Most of the time, teams are unable to fool him, and unable to pressure him enough, and then he just carves teams up. He's done that in spite of his sub par O-line.
I think we're about to see Wilson do the same thing this year!
I really and truly believe that.

The last half of last season, Wilson came on, because he trusted his reads, and the result was amazing. Just wait guys, this is the year that Wilson moves into the conversation with Rogers as the NFL's best QB, and those idiots arguing about how Lynch helped him or our defense etc... they'll have nothing left to say after this year.

[savvyman]

Agree with the Cable comments. He is given no resources to speak of. So the offensive line is kinda subsidizing other positions - allowing us to keep our superstar players under contract.

Cable's ability to make lemonade (though still very sour) out of lemons is very valuable to the team success and dominance in other areas such as defense.

[RiverDog]

Cable's ability to make lemonade (though still very sour) out of lemons is very valuable to the team success and dominance in other areas such as defense.

I don't agree. I'm not all that impressed with Cable's ability. Assuming that he's had a major hand in our drafting process, he hasn't done a very good job of utilizing the high draft picks that he was given when you consider the lemons he's drafted (Carpenter, Moffitt, and Britt). Hopefully that trend will reverse itself this season.

[Vegaseahawk]

Related article on Ifedi
http://q13fox.com/2016/04/29/seahawks-made-either-best-or-worst-pick-of-first-round-depending-on-who-you-ask/

[NorthHawk]

Teams draft potential. No player is a sure thing to be worth the round they are selected let alone ever make it as a starter.
The need was there along with what they consider to be the athletic and physical abilities to make Ifedi into a very good player. From that PoV, it was probably a good pick.
Like always, time will tell how well this draft as a whole, and Ifedi in particular works out.

[HumanCockroach]

I don't agree. I'm not all that impressed with Cable's ability. Assuming that he's had a major hand in our drafting process, he hasn't done a very good job of utilizing the high draft picks that he was given when you consider the lemons he's drafted (Carpenter, Moffitt, and Britt). Hopefully that trend will reverse itself this season.

Carpenter wasn't a lemon, and its to early to tell if Britt is. You're insistence that a move on the line makes them a lemon doesn't make it so. Especially considering that it happens far more regularly that you acknowledge across the NFL and continuing to ignore when the players you pointed out were drafted, how deep the draft was with offensive lineman, the success ( or lack of) the lineman that could have been drafted after those players and their ability to continue starting in the NFL.

[monkey]

I don't agree. I'm not all that impressed with Cable's ability. Assuming that he's had a major hand in our drafting process, he hasn't done a very good job of utilizing the high draft picks that he was given when you consider the lemons he's drafted (Carpenter, Moffitt, and Britt). Hopefully that trend will reverse itself this season.

Carpenter is getting paid a lot of money in New York right now, and is kicking butt there. How is he a lemon? He's one of the leagues best run blockers, hands down.
JR Sweezy, who fans loved to rip, also is getting paid big bucks in Tampa now, and is also one of the leagues best run blockers.
Moffitt turned out to be a head case, gee whiz, EVERY NFL team drafts busts. Look at the hit rate around the league on draft picks, Cable's hit rate by comparison is stellar!

I would say it's too soon to call Britt a bust yet. You can call him disappointing, you can say that he was drafted too early, but I think it's too soon to call him a bust yet, just going into year three. Again though, busts happen to EVERY team. Cable really hasn't been any worse than anyone else, but I wasn't talking about his drafts, (in which case, Schneider and Pete have the right to say no to anything Cable might want, so ultimately it is THEIR responsibility not Cables!) I was talking about his ability to teach, and coach up guys in the ZBS.

It's funny how the perception among fans about Cable is not even CLOSE to what the perception of Cable is around the league from other coaches and players. Other coaches and players think that he's one of the absolute best O-Line coaches. He's considered to be the best ZBS guru around right now. And actually, he's done a good job of proving that here, taking garbage players and teaching them how to run block at a high level. (Admittedly, his focus on run blocking seems to come at the expense of pass blocking, which is very frustrating at times.)