Earl Thomas

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Earl Thomas

Postby Largent80 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:04 pm

Not a poll any more, just opinions, rumours and news.
Last edited by Largent80 on Wed Mar 21, 2018 11:04 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Oly » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:49 pm

Largent80 wrote:Poll

I voted trade if it's a first, or 2 seconds. He's awesome but nearing the end and this team is needing help everywhere despite 9-7.


I'd be surprised if anyone offered more than a 3rd, and I'd believe that a 5th was more likely. I think any team other than the Cowboys would be nervous about re-signing him and wouldn't give up that much. Either that, or wouldn't want to re-sign a 30-year-old FS for big money.

I just think he's so much more critical to Pete's system than he'd be anywhere else, so his value to the Hawks is much higher than what others would be willing to pay.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby NorthHawk » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:02 pm

I voted trade him. It makes me a little sad to be at this point, though because I think he has 3 or 4 legitimate good years left.
He's saying the right things about wanting to play his entire career here, but I doubt his heart is here.
I think a team would pay a late 1st or high 2nd for him depending on the team.
Maybe the Falcons who need a FS and knows the system might bite.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Largent80 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:16 pm

He's a 6 time ALL-PRO, he's worth more than a 3rd. This isn't your normal run of the mill player. His injury history isn't bad.

If you think he is not worth more than a 3rd you are a little misinformed.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby burrrton » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:33 pm

He's 28 years old, arguably the best safety in the game, and the lynchpin of a defense that could have led the NFL in scoring again if we hadn't lost Kam and Sherm (iirc we were top 5 at the time).

We're not talking about a 34yo player looking for One Last Contract to retire on. You extend him.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby mykc14 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:52 pm

Extend. He still played at a very high level. He will be worth paying at a high level for at least a few more seasons. You can extend him for 3 years while he is still playing at a high level for his 29, 30, and 31 year old seasons. The contract can be written so that if he is isn't playing at a high level for the last year (He would still only be 32) you can cut him with a small cap hit. He will probably look for a contract in the 13 mil/year range. Currently his cap hit is 10.4 million. A 3 year 39 mill contract would essentially be a 4 year 49 mil contract that the team can manipulate the cap hits for. for example they can have a situation where his cap hits are 10, 11,13,15. A contract in which he almost certainly would not see the 4th year for (unless he was still playing at an All-pro level). Depending on what his guaranteed money lets say 20 mil signing bonus the dead cap for cutting him that last year would only be about 5 mil, saving the team 10 mil. It seems like extending him is almost a no-brainer.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Zorn76 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 2:02 pm

Trade.
Get value for him now. He's a great player and is still young, but he's not going to improve or get any younger. Call his bluff on his nicely timed "holdout' comment.

We're in a rebuild of sorts anyway, and we don't need any b.s. distraction or drama moving forward. He gave a HOF effort here, but I'm done with millionaire soap box stances of this sort.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby I-5 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 2:38 pm

Calling him on his bluff would mean not offering him an extension and let him play out this year. Trading him would be taking him at his word that he won't take the field without a new contract.

Being that he's still only 28, I think they will extend him, but maybe a lower number than he's asking....
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby c_hawkbob » Mon Jan 29, 2018 2:45 pm

Extend him. We look to have plenty of turnover as it is, we need to have enough quality veteran leadership to maintain the high level of play we’ve worked so hard to establish.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby HumanCockroach » Mon Jan 29, 2018 3:29 pm

Interesting, HOF safety, still in his prime, and people wanting to trade him for 3rd or 2nd round picks.... I don't even know where to begin with that. Should they have traded Kennedy and Walt 1/2 way through their careers as well? Wilson trade fodder in another year or two ( he'll be the same age) I honestly do not fathom they idea that trading perennial all pro, pro bowl players for anything less than MULTIPLE high picks, I'm fairly confident Baltimore was good paying Reed into his mid thirties, as well as Lewis. When you have a HOF caliber player, still in his prime, you don't trade him for "whatever you can get, and a couple hotdogs".
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Oly » Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:30 pm

I think he's worth two firsts, but I'm always shocked by how little teams get for good players. The only reason I think that he'd get a 3rd is because his recent comments might make teams shy about getting more than 1 year from him. If he agreed to an extension before the trade, I could easily see him netting a first. I just doubt that will happen.

I voted to extend him.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Largent80 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:26 pm

He fired a couple shots across the bow of the USS Seahawk.

He has been very well taken care of his entire career here and if he really want to go to Dal-ASS then why not approach JS about it rather than go run down the coach of the Cowpies after that game.

To me, that's a huge harbinger, and then to say the things he did this weekend that seem to indicate he will hold out.

I don't get it, but maybe he is tired of what we all were before the recent firings?......How much money does a guy need?

Give him an offer, if he refuses it, Sayonara.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Hawk Sista » Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:36 pm

I’m bummed at some of his actions and I don’t know what they all mean. If he continues to play and play like Earl (I know he’s getting older & more injury prone; I’m talking about with heart), I’d choose extending him. However, he seems to want to play elsewhere. If that is where his head and his heart truly are, i say we trade him to an AFC team (like the Browns) & get something for him.

ET has long been a favorite and even the question makes me sad. I met him once, too. :(
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Aseahawkfan » Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:39 pm

You extend the cornerstone of our secondary. You gotta be kidding me. Unless someone offers something insane, no way I trade him.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Zorn76 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:18 pm

Point is, does he Really wanna be here anymore?
If I'm Pete, I cut through all the b.s. right away and ask him that.

And if he wants to break the bank for his position, and it doesn't work given whatever the given cap situation might be, then he goes.

This isn't about trading him over nothing. It's about determining if he wants to be a Seahawk and is willing to work within the parameters of the off season cap. If he doesn't, then wtf do you expect the team to do? smh, whatever.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby obiken » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:51 am

Hawk Sista wrote:I’m bummed at some of his actions and I don’t know what they all mean. If he continues to play and play like Earl (I know he’s getting older & more injury prone; I’m talking about with heart), I’d choose extending him. However, he seems to want to play elsewhere. If that is where his head and his heart truly are, i say we trade him to an AFC team (like the Browns) & get something for him.

ET has long been a favorite and even the question makes me sad. I met him once, too. :(


You met him?? Was he a cool guy or evil?? :)
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Aseahawkfan » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:52 am

Zorn76 wrote:Point is, does he Really wanna be here anymore?
If I'm Pete, I cut through all the b.s. right away and ask him that.

And if he wants to break the bank for his position, and it doesn't work given whatever the given cap situation might be, then he goes.

This isn't about trading him over nothing. It's about determining if he wants to be a Seahawk and is willing to work within the parameters of the off season cap. If he doesn't, then wtf do you expect the team to do? smh, whatever.


This is a business. It doesn't matter if he wants to be here or not. What matters is if we can pay him the market amount and if he performs as a professional. Pete and John's job is to field the best team possible. Earl is not a replaceable talent. It's a huge drop off without him as we've seen whenever he goes down. Losing Earl is basically saying you don't want a top defense any longer and are worried about things other than fielding the best team possible. If that is the case, Pete and John need to retire.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Zorn76 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 3:28 am

Wrong.

It Absolutely Matters if a player wants to be here or not, that's a Major reason a guy like Earl plays with passion, emotion and grit. You don't play that way year in and year out for only money. Doesn't work that way. You can hold out for more money, but for it to be a player's main motivation is what kills the career for a lot of guys. We see it all the time - they hit their own personal super lotto and get lazy. HOF calibre players like Thomas...goes beyond money.

Furthermore, you do realize this is his 9th season in the league coming up. He's still young, but there's a lot of miles on that guy. It's like a real nice sports car...with 220,000 miles on it. It still has power, but the best days are behind her.

If our 'wannabe Cowboy' is willing to work within the cap, I don't have problem with it. If he continues to make comments along the lines of holding out and then proceeds to does so, then he can go f*** himself. Get the value while you can if it comes to it. The LOB is Dead, people. Has been for a couple seasons now.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby RiverDog » Tue Jan 30, 2018 3:51 am

I voted to extend him, but it would depend on the details of the extension. At his age and the fact that he's going to be losing a step or two at a position (especially the way he plays that position) where speed is everything, I don't want it to be a long, expensive extension that would hamstring us as we go forward trying to rebuild this team.

I would not be against a trade if he really wants out and it's to a team that he wants to play for (Cowboys), but there's no way we could get anything more than a 3rd, and that's certainly not worth it.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby NorthHawk » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:19 am

RiverDog wrote:I voted to extend him, but it would depend on the details of the extension. At his age and the fact that he's going to be losing a step or two at a position (especially the way he plays that position) where speed is everything, I don't want it to be a long, expensive extension that would hamstring us as we go forward trying to rebuild this team.

I would not be against a trade if he really wants out and it's to a team that he wants to play for (Cowboys), but there's no way we could get anything more than a 3rd, and that's certainly not worth it.


I'm not so sure about the 3rd, RD.
If a team thinks it needs just one more piece for a SB run, they might think it would be worth it to give up a late 1st or high 2nd if they had it.
The Falcons need a FS. Might they give up their 1st (26) and maybe a little more this year for ET? He knows Quinn's Defense and they need a FS to go with Keanu Neal to create their version of the LOB.
It would be a perfect fit personnel wise and Blank isn't afraid of making big deals as they showed when they moved up for Julio Jones in the draft.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Largent80 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:46 am

The results so far are fairly predictable and it's the dilemma the FO has.

Also, they need to get McDougald re-signed.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby mykc14 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:58 am

Zorn76 wrote:Point is, does he Really wanna be here anymore?
If I'm Pete, I cut through all the b.s. right away and ask him that.

And if he wants to break the bank for his position, and it doesn't work given whatever the given cap situation might be, then he goes.

This isn't about trading him over nothing. It's about determining if he wants to be a Seahawk and is willing to work within the parameters of the off season cap. If he doesn't, then wtf do you expect the team to do? smh, whatever.


If he doesn't want to be here anymore then he wouldn't sign the extension and its a moot point. The assumption is that he would sign the extension. Maybe a better option would be 'try' to extend him. If he were to sign the extension but in his heart wants to play for Dallas than so be it. I wouldn't mind that at all. If that were the case he wanted to play for Dallas this season and he still played exceptionally. You are right to say that he isn't just motivated by money (although he did say that Eric Berry's contract extension was a driving force in him not retiring). ET is clearly motivated by greatness. He wants to be the best to ever play the position and is ultra competitive. There is no way he is going to start pouting and stop playing at an elite level. When his play begins to fall off it will be a physical/age thing not a pouting I want to play elsewhere thing.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Largent80 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:31 am

It doesn't compute to say Eric Berry's contract inspired him to not retire, and then say he is inspired to greatness.
He's already achieved greatness and still is way better than Berry could ever be.

He wants that money. Ever seen his car collection?
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby RiverDog » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:14 pm

NorthHawk wrote:I'm not so sure about the 3rd, RD.
If a team thinks it needs just one more piece for a SB run, they might think it would be worth it to give up a late 1st or high 2nd if they had it.
The Falcons need a FS. Might they give up their 1st (26) and maybe a little more this year for ET? He knows Quinn's Defense and they need a FS to go with Keanu Neal to create their version of the LOB.
It would be a perfect fit personnel wise and Blank isn't afraid of making big deals as they showed when they moved up for Julio Jones in the draft.


The Falcons currently have just $10m in cap space, ranking them 28th in the league. Besides, it's unclear if Earl would want to go to the Falcons. It would seem that his main motivation for wanting to leave Seattle is so he can go back home to Texas, so what sense would there be for him to change teams just to give himself about an hour shorter flight?

If we do trade Earl, he'll be the one calling the shots, which would severely limit the market value.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby NorthHawk » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:23 pm

They can make room for him if they really want him, but as far as him wanting to go to Dallas, the Falcons could get him for 2 years if they decided to franchise him.
Would 2 Super Bowls be worth it for them (if they think he is the missing piece)? I think it might.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby mykc14 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:37 pm

NorthHawk wrote:They can make room for him if they really want him, but as far as him wanting to go to Dallas, the Falcons could get him for 2 years if they decided to franchise him.
Would 2 Super Bowls be worth it for them (if they think he is the missing piece)? I think it might.


Yeah, but River is right in that IF the Hawks were trying to trade him he actually would be the one with leverage. What team is going to trade anything for him if he says I won't play for you. He can threaten retirement, holding out, etc... If the Hawks were really going to trade him and get anything for him it would have to be for a team he is willing to sign a long term contract with.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby NorthHawk » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:45 pm

They are far more advanced than we are at this point in challenging for a championship.
That is a big lure for many players and could sway him. He might look at it like for the first time he won't have to win the game on Defense because their Offense is big time already.
It might be something that would be attractive to him not to mention playing for DQ again who he seemed to like when he was here.
I don't underestimate the pull of a better possibility of another ring.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Aseahawkfan » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:50 pm

Zorn76 wrote:Wrong.

It Absolutely Matters if a player wants to be here or not, that's a Major reason a guy like Earl plays with passion, emotion and grit. You don't play that way year in and year out for only money. Doesn't work that way. You can hold out for more money, but for it to be a player's main motivation is what kills the career for a lot of guys. We see it all the time - they hit their own personal super lotto and get lazy. HOF calibre players like Thomas...goes beyond money.

Furthermore, you do realize this is his 9th season in the league coming up. He's still young, but there's a lot of miles on that guy. It's like a real nice sports car...with 220,000 miles on it. It still has power, but the best days are behind her.

If our 'wannabe Cowboy' is willing to work within the cap, I don't have problem with it. If he continues to make comments along the lines of holding out and then proceeds to does so, then he can go f*** himself. Get the value while you can if it comes to it. The LOB is Dead, people. Has been for a couple seasons now.


BS. Players play for teams they don't want to play for all the time for money. Every fricking day. And every draft they go to a team that isn't ideal. It's very rare a player goes to their perfect team.

What makes Earl play with passion is being a professional. Knowing his million dollar contracts rely on him being a professional that performs at a high level. His entire career and reputation are on the line once he signs a contract for millions to perform. That is what makes Earl play with passion. Do you really believe he plays the way he does because he plays on the Seahawks and likes being thousands of miles from his home? Give me a break. This wasn't Earl's ideal team when he got here. He still performed at a high level.

Fans like to think who the player plays for matters, but it doesn't and never has other than the quality of the coach and organization. For players this is their job. Same as guys that work in banking at a high level or any person performs at a high level regardless of whether they want to be there or not. They have a work ethic, are being paid a large sum of money to perform, a sum they worked hard to earn by doing such a great job.

I don't care what you believe. I'm not going to buy fan BS about coaches and FOs worrying about whether a player wants to be here. If that mattered one bit, half our team wouldn't be here. Most of the league would be playing in places like LA, San Diego, Miami, New York, Texas, and other larger market states with chances to make more money from endorsements and better weather. That's why the draft and free agency rules allow teams to retain talent to make them competitive whether it's a place like Cleveland where few want to go or Dallas. Pete and John's job is to field the best team possible within the rules. Earl is part of that whether some nutty fans want to believe that or not.

What's next? "Russell said he doesn't want to be here. Pete and John should trade him." Sure, that's how teams run their free agency and trades. If fans that thought that way ran teams, we'd never be competitive.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Aseahawkfan » Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:57 pm

Mark my words and bother me about them later if you want. if Pete and John trade Earl this defense's descent into mediocrity will accelerate and the Pete and John Era of football with it. Earl is a cornerstone player and not resigning him would be paramount to removing us from competitive play indefinitely. He is nearly as important to our team's success as Russell Wilson and definitely the success of our pass defense.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby HumanCockroach » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:08 pm

If Thomas can be signed with a five year deal, at the highest salary for a safety in the NFL, you jump on it. If you don't, you're a fool that doesn't recognize HOF caliber players. Be moronic not to, he's that important to this team. Be no more foolish than allowing Wilson to walk after his first contract, or trading Walt after his first one, or fooling around with Hutchinson after his first contract.

Honestly, with the exception of Wagner, there's not a single player on that team, I would prefer to retain over Thomas. No matter my appreciation of them. Thomas isn't my favorite player, far from it, but I understand his importance, and can recognize HOF play when I see it .
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Zorn76 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:30 pm

LOL, uh huh.
Cap friendly deal, he stays.
If it isn't, he goes.
Lotta time to cut other players, re-structure or whatever to get it done, but our cap space is more limited than before.
That's the x-factor right now.

And a legit, franchise QB is the exception to a lot of rules. They are The Most important player on Any team, have the Most responsibility to shoulder, and have a better shot at still being a Pro Bow player at 35+ compared to most defensive backfields. Btw, a lot of people don't like their jobs, but most aren't cashing 6 or 7 digit pay checks while complaining, either. It's a business (duh), but hardly your typical 9 to 5.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby burrrton » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:48 pm

They are far more advanced than we are at this point in challenging for a championship.


Nonsense.

We were all over the place this year, but our defense was nearly as good as theirs *without Sherm or Kam*, and even with our non-existent offensive line, if we'd had a kicker that could hit a 40-some yard FG reliably, we almost assuredly would have been a game better than them and they'd have been watching the playoffs from the couch instead of us.

We have holes to fill for sure, but ATL is not far closer to being a Lombardi contender.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby NorthHawk » Tue Jan 30, 2018 2:02 pm

Their Offense can score points and their Defense is almost as good as ours and with the changes this year for Cap reasons, maybe not as good.
The reason they got into the playoffs is because they are a better team than us and they are only 1 year removed from a SB appearance.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby burrrton » Tue Jan 30, 2018 3:13 pm

The reason they got into the playoffs is because they are a better team than us


Yet, if we had even a mediocre kicker, we have been in the playoffs, not them. A team that needed that simple a need to go so wrong for another team is not *far* better than them (note that the "far" part is what I object to, not that they are/were simply better, which is debatable but defensible).
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby RiverDog » Tue Jan 30, 2018 3:52 pm

HumanCockroach wrote:Honestly, with the exception of Wagner, there's not a single player on that team, I would prefer to retain over Thomas. No matter my appreciation of them. Thomas isn't my favorite player, far from it, but I understand his importance, and can recognize HOF play when I see it .


I think you meant on defense. I would take Russell over Thomas.

The ball is in Earl's court. We're not trading him without his consent and to team he wants to play for. Our FO and our owner don't operate that way. Earl is arguably as good as any player that's put on the blue and green in the 40+ years that this franchise has been in existance. It would be a PR disaster if this marriage ended on a bad note.

And the more I think about it, even if he loses a step as he gets older, the experience he has playing that position, one where he has to survey the entire field and predict where the play is likely to go, is invaluable and could make up for what he might lose in speed. Just don't let him return punts! :lol:
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Aseahawkfan » Tue Jan 30, 2018 7:40 pm

I don't know why, but I'm always shocked by the number of fans that think we can trade a player like Earl and find some replacement because we get a first round pick. Players like Earl are once or twice in a franchise lifetime players. He literally makes Pete's defense work as well as it does. Earl and Sherm should retire as Seahawks unless they want to play way longer than they should. Earl and Sherm are the cornerstone of our defense and they allow us to be as good as we are. Kam was great, but he was still luxury. Having a monster strong safety that can bang like Kam is fun, but we could find someone to play strong safety well enough for us to be great. We can't find another Earl or Sherm. We have them, we can have weaker players on the opposite side and at strong safety.

I will not believe that Pete and John see it much different. i will be surprised if they even entertain the thought of trading either of those two. Sherm's driven and I think he'll make it back strong. His game doesn't rely on extreme speed. His game is enough speed, length, and intelligence.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby c_hawkbob » Wed Jan 31, 2018 5:48 am

There is no replacement for Earl out there. We'd have to rethink a lot of what we do on defense because so much of it is predicated on Earls unique range and instincts.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Largent80 » Wed Jan 31, 2018 6:04 am

After this next year he can be franchised if he wants to play the force your hand game, or he would have to retire, sit out a year and unretire.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby NorthHawk » Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:19 am

Like it or not, our Defense is going through a transition or rebuild, whatever you call it.
They have to change the salary structure from heavy Defense to a more balanced spending formula and we will lose some real good players from injury and FA, too.
Mike Bennett suggested he might not be back next year citing the team is getting younger. I don't know if JS or PC suggested something or if he's just reading the tea leaves but there are others.
Sheldon Richardson wants to test the FA market. I don't think we have the money for him.
Kam and Cliff won't be playing for us if at all.
Sherman might not play much and might not be the player he was. Maybe he'll surprise us all and not miss a beat, but it's a tough injury to come back fully from in one off season.
There's talk of moving KJ Wright because of salary cap and him maybe losing a step.

That's almost half the Defense that's in doubt and the combination of skills and desire that these guys had will be hard to find again, so I think ET might be expendable in a
rebuilding year or two years. It started last year with all of the DB's selected in the draft and maybe some of those guys can take the next step, but nobody will ever be the combination
of ET and Kam at Safety along with Sherman at CB. With a slightly different formula, ET might be expendable in Pete's mind.

Then again, maybe they are looking for the new Kam to play with ET. It's all a guess at this point.

Pass rusher will have to be high on the Defensive list in the Off Season. Someone will have to create pressure up front for our DBs to play their best considering the loss of talent in the backfield.
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Re: Earl Thomas (Poll)

Postby Largent80 » Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:42 am

Darius Leonard would be an awesome pick for LB. Depending on what happens with Sherman and ET, it could alter the DB position as well in this draft for Seattle.

Regarding Leonard..He did it all at the Senior Bowl — plugging gaps vs the run in the game, playing with range at the second level, performing well in coverage drills and delivering a couple of solid hits. If he has a big day at the combine he could easily land in the second round as teams look for the next Deion Jones. The video at the top of this article feature a collection of Leonard’s highlights from the game in Mobile.

Why would the Seahawks be interested?
Multiple reasons. K.J. Wright’s contract expires in a year. The depth at the position is still lacking. They don’t have a possible impact player they can use at SAM. They just re-hired Ken Norton Jr. He has +34 inch arms, +10 inch hands and an incredible wingspan of 82 inches. The Seahawks loved K.J. Wright’s length (34 3/4 inch arms) and Leonard is similar. He’ll need to run well in the forty and the short shuttle.
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