HawkShack.com

Turn on the rice cooker.

One of Cleveland's biggest needs in the draft was a wide receiver ... every expert seemed to think so.

But, they did not draft a wide receiver, and they just lost their best wide receiver on suspension.

So now is the time to send our Rice to Cleveland for a fourth round draft pick next year ... or even a fifth rounder.

We just drafted Richardson and Norwood so add them to Harvin, Baldwin, and Kearse and that makes five ... and take one of the other six WR's already on the team and you've got ....

no need for reheated Rice.

The value of Rice will never be higher.

Browns fans were jubilant and a groundswell of optimism is gripping The Dog Pound.

... er, except for a receiver, which Rice will help feed right now.

zoom

Interesting thought.
Not sure I would be on board if I was Rice, but from a fans perspective a draft pick for us would be nice.

I would think once the suspension is confirmed, they will address it after the cuts or maybe by one of their UFAs if they signed a WR.

That is certainly a possibility, but probably too soon. For starters the Browns do not yet know exactly what they have in camp. They have a number of young guys with just a few years experience. Secondly, the ''hawks do not know yet which guy is going to make the cut here. They don't even know which guys are going to show up healthy at this point. The 'hawks have a history of trading excess veteran depth if the deal makes sense. If Sidney looks good, and we are sitting on 6-7 NFL quality WRs come training camp, I can sure this this happening.

I would venture a guess that there will be several guys they look to trade during the preseason that are quality players, and need positions that for whatever reason won't or don't fit here, it's damn difficult to pull off though, because most teams are willing to wait it out for the cuts to happen. I could see interest in Rice, Pryor, Lane even if another corner comes in like gang busters, perhaps even Ware or another back who looks like he'll not make the final roster.....

Im all for getting rid of rice (it was stupid to resign him) because the Hawks are running the risk that harvin and rice will be "healthy" by taking it easy during training camp....and preseason....and then after we make difficult cuts at WR and they have to start really playing one or both of them will get injured and we will regret letting go of one or more of the WRs.

I think it is just plain poor management to be relying on so many injured players at ANY position.

Having said that, even on a team that needs WR I dont see a single team in the NFL valuing Rice at anything more than a 7th rounder, and even that might require some generosity. Some hawk fans might still cling to hope that Rice is a good player but the dude probably isnt even one of the top 120 WRs in the nfl at this point.

To add to the reasons why it won't happen: rice accepted a little less than he was offered by the one other team to show interest so the hawks kind of need to see it through (at least until cuts) even though they have every right to pursue a trade. Also, I think Rice and the team understand that if he suffers another injury this year then its time to retire.

As young as Rice still is, he is one more semi-serious injury away from retirement. He wants to retire as a seahawk and we may only be months away from that.

Timing is everything.

The dogs are back in the pound.

The fans are eating the "new" Cleveland up after a positive draft ... they have momentum.

They did virtually nothing in UFDA's at WR, that's why I'm saying how is the time to give them a Rice Bone.

The comments about Norwood by PC and The Schneid, plus the first pick of Richardson, suggest they have 5 counting Kearse, and one more of a half dozen to try to get on the 53.

Yes, health is important, but with the facilities open and many vets in attendance it would appear they can grab a sixth WR from those if necessary.

Remember, Pryor is still there as well.

If they keep 3 QB's, and are sold as Daniels at 3, then they will at least attempt to try Pryor at WR or TE.

I even see Pryor as possibly a DBack.

Regardless, they are as stacked as they ever will be ... and competition will still be the spin cycle.

Yes, it could be provident to wait ... but only a serious injury to a WR on another team will make Rice worth a fifth ... and with the number of WR's drafted there will be more vet WR's on the market.

Shop now.

zoom

Bird Droppings wrote:Turn on the rice cooker.

One of Cleveland's biggest needs in the draft was a wide receiver ... every expert seemed to think so.

But, they did not draft a wide receiver, and they just lost their best wide receiver on suspension.

So now is the time to send our Rice to Cleveland for a fourth round draft pick next year ... or even a fifth rounder.

We just drafted Richardson and Norwood so add them to Harvin, Baldwin, and Kearse and that makes five ... and take one of the other six WR's already on the team and you've got ....

no need for reheated Rice.

The value of Rice will never be higher.

Browns fans were jubilant and a groundswell of optimism is gripping The Dog Pound.

... er, except for a receiver, which Rice will help feed right now.

zoom

I'd be ecstatic of we could get a 4th for Rice, but I don't know why Cleveland wouldn't simply wait until August and pick up someone like Rice after roster cuts rather than spend a 4th rounder on a guy with an injury history longer than War and Peace. WR's are a dime a dozen.

And yet another drum that must be beat, forever and forever, and forever. We get it Birwas, you don't like Rice and Harvin, the first 100 posts on it was enough to get that point across.

HumanCockroach wrote:And yet another drum that must be beat, forever and forever, and forever. We get it Birwas, you don't like Rice and Harvin, the first 100 posts on it was enough to get that point across.

Seriously! These guys aren't getting hurt intentionally, or as an affront to you personally...sheesh.

IMO it wasn't even REMOTELY stupid to resign Rice. For such a small amount of money, to sign a guy who WANTS to be here, and who has the kind of hops, hands and catch radius that he has, I say it was BRILLIANT!

I'm real hopeful we keep both Richardson and Norwood this year.
There's one roster spot with Tate gone, so one of them will have to beat our Rice and the other will have to beat out either Lockette or Kearse.
I think the rookies have more upside than Lockette, but Kearse has shown the ability to make big plays, too.
This might be the most competitive TC for WRs we've had since Pete and John took over.

As of now I see 3 wr as locks, Harvin, Baldwin, and Kearse after that who knows at this point.

NorthHawk wrote:I'm real hopeful we keep both Richardson and Norwood this year.
There's one roster spot with Tate gone, so one of them will have to beat our Rice and the other will have to beat out either Lockette or Kearse.
I think the rookies have more upside than Lockette, but Kearse has shown the ability to make big plays, too.
This might be the most competitive TC for WRs we've had since Pete and John took over.

Gotta have a crystal ball for this one. I truly want to keep Rice. He is motivated and wants to be here and is a baller.
Not so much concerned for him getting hurt as I am for Harvin. Which is why your points about keeping Norwood and Richardson make sense.
But how can we keep so many WR's?
Can't keep all of them you know?

Teams coulda had Rice for nothing after we cut him, so the likelihood of a trade is just about nil.

He's worth another try in Seattle, to the point where I'd keep one more roster spot open for WR, and drop one spot from another unit. We're all tired of being snake bit with injuries, I know, and we did win a SB without him.

But the hunch here is that he's worth keeping, anyway. IMO, he's more valuable than a 4th or 5th rd pick to begin with.

Seemed like a good thread to put a link about the Seahawks intended use of the receivers in general and Richardson in particular. It's an excellent read.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/football-brea ... ing-report

We have the Legion of Boom on defense, and now also have the legion of ZOOM on offense!

Eaglehawk wrote:

NorthHawk wrote:I'm real hopeful we keep both Richardson and Norwood this year.
There's one roster spot with Tate gone, so one of them will have to beat our Rice and the other will have to beat out either Lockette or Kearse.
I think the rookies have more upside than Lockette, but Kearse has shown the ability to make big plays, too.
This might be the most competitive TC for WRs we've had since Pete and John took over.

Gotta have a crystal ball for this one. I truly want to keep Rice. He is motivated and wants to be here and is a baller.
Not so much concerned for him getting hurt as I am for Harvin. Which is why your points about keeping Norwood and Richardson make sense.
But how can we keep so many WR's?
Can't keep all of them you know?

Special Teams, maybe? That's a good question but we had 6 WRs on the roster last year.
Baldwin
Harvin
Kearse
Tate
Lockette
Walters

Add in Rice - remove Tate and 2 others would have to go.
It seems like Walters and Lockette would be the choices on paper. Richardson is the speed that Lockette has and is more experienced as a player albeit not at the NFL level.
They almost have to keep another WR because of the probability of injuries to Rice and Harvin.

I see no mention of Chris Mathews. I hope he makes the team and think he has as good a chance as anyone (other than Baldwin, Kearse and Harvin who are locks)

NorthHawk wrote:

Eaglehawk wrote:

NorthHawk wrote:I'm real hopeful we keep both Richardson and Norwood this year.
There's one roster spot with Tate gone, so one of them will have to beat our Rice and the other will have to beat out either Lockette or Kearse.
I think the rookies have more upside than Lockette, but Kearse has shown the ability to make big plays, too.
This might be the most competitive TC for WRs we've had since Pete and John took over.

Gotta have a crystal ball for this one. I truly want to keep Rice. He is motivated and wants to be here and is a baller.
Not so much concerned for him getting hurt as I am for Harvin. Which is why your points about keeping Norwood and Richardson make sense.
But how can we keep so many WR's?
Can't keep all of them you know?

Special Teams, maybe? That's a good question but we had 6 WRs on the roster last year.
Baldwin
Harvin
Kearse
Tate
Lockette
Walters

Add in Rice - remove Tate and 2 others would have to go.
It seems like Walters and Lockette would be the choices on paper. Richardson is the speed that Lockette has and is more experienced as a player albeit not at the NFL level.
They almost have to keep another WR because of the probability of injuries to Rice and Harvin.

That's a bit misleading. Walters bounced from the PS to the roster throughout the year, unfortunately I don't see either of those rookie receivers being able to be moved like that. Rice can't, so it limits either another position( likely TE OR RB), or someone has to go. That said, the competition should be the strongest it has ever been in Seahawks history at that position.

PasadenaHawk wrote:I see no mention of Chris Mathews. I hope he makes the team and think he has as good a chance as anyone (other than Baldwin, Kearse and Harvin who are locks)

Mathews is actually a receiver that I could see bouncing back and forth between the PS and the roster. With the sheer quantity of quality players at the receiver position, should make for a great competition in training camp, probably the most fascinating to watch IMHO.

Kind of see it ending up like this:

Baldwin
Harvin
Rice
Kearse
Richardson
Norwood

PS / injury insurance/ active roster
Mathews

Obviously this is gonna be a hot competition, and has fans polarized as on or off Rice ... no question about his ability, only his tendency to be unable to play.

Roach's somments about Matthews are appropriate.

But, Lockette, Taylor Price and Ardto Clark cannot be dismissed out of hand ... what to do if they have sensational camps?

And no one is alluding to Pryor being moved to WR (or TE)?

This guy is too skilled to dump without trying him at some other position. There is certainly no reason to keep him as third quarterback.

And he is too gifted to be released out of hand.

Rice being cheap after being overpaid is not at issue here ... can they put a value on his durability in comparison to the skillsets of other players?

Pryor cost us a seventh.

If a seventh is all we can get for Rice then I prefer that trade-off to the possibilities of Rice Krispied.

zoom

Yeah, this topic (who do we keep at WR?) is going to be the most talked about all through camp I would bet.

My guess is we go with something like this :
Baldwin
Harvin
Kearse
Richardson
Norwood
and one of either
Matthews or Rice

That's where I see the big battle playing out, between Rice and Matthews for that X receiver, big body type of slot.
My money would be on Rice if he stays healthy.

The other possibility of course is, they could POSSIBLY keep 7 WR's, and then keeping both Rice and Matthews.
It's possible even if unlikely. Remember too, between Rice and Harvin, those two need backup insurance, possibly forcing Pete to decide to keep 7.

I really don't see any way that any of the others stay. Guys like Lockette would only stay if they can make it for special teams, and I think that special teams spot will be taken by one of those others this year.

It's going to be fascinating to see how it plays out, that's for certain!

Like I was trying to relay in my post, I don't think Mathews makes the active roster, but more than likely lands on the practice squad, leaving 6 I don't for a second believe the Hawks carry two FB's again ( meaning Ware, Coleman and the heavy they just drafted will be duking it out for the one spot) nor do I necessarily believe they carry three TE's ( of course that could be completely inaccurate, maybe they come in light somewhere else to keep the sixth receiver). Barring an injury to a receiver in training camp, just think that is probably how it will roll into the season ( as I doubt either rookie can make it to the PS). Where they end up on the depth chart is what I am fascinated to find out. Carroll certainly won't hand any of them anything, so if anyone believes they are "slotted" into a spot, they are in for a rude awakening IMHO.

Roach, concur on new guy as gunner or practice squad making Lockette unlikely. Richardson takes his speed spot, so Lockette is on notice.

Pinkins or Jeffcoat or Norwood or even Small look like candidates plus backups from last year.

And Pierre-Louis has been pointed out as definite PS guy.

I think both Coleman and Ware could be displaced by Small, who has proved he can move through to the second level and wipe LB's out ... and here come BeastMode or Michael with the ball right behind him. They passed on a lot of players who were left to pick Small.

And Norwood seems to be their favorite of all the guys they were able to pick and the new Tate.

Yes, they cannot carry 7 WR's ... and if they carry 6 they may have to dump Daniels at QB because they need that roster spot.

That's just one reason Pryor makes sense to me, he is the "emergency" QB and I am looking at a longshot bet or Pryor getting reps at QB in minicamp (plus he gives them an extra guy to throw their besides Price ... and Pryor will get reps at WR or TE ... and the outside shot remains he could also see some time there at CB (now, wouldn't that be interesting).

things are wide open, and open competition will be more interesting to assess than ever. And, remember, the national media will be hanging around a lot closer than last year so PC and The Schneid might keep some secrets in their back pockets in this regard.

But, this was a Rice thread, and still is.

I'd like to keep Rice, but I'm wondering if the numbers will work.
I don't look much at the salary implications (although I have been seen looking at the Spotrac page), but if Matthews is considerably less expensive than Rice they might let Sidney go.
The other question is his durability.
If we kept him then if history is any indication, we might have both Harvin and Rice not able to play. Not good if the guy they let go has been signed elsewhere.
Pete and John also seem to like the younger guys because they heal faster.
It just seems there might be a couple of factors working against keeping Rice even though he just re-signed at a lower level.

Rice has guaranteed salary, Mathews doesn't so if that is a concern, I don't see a benefit in cutting Rice over Mathews. Rice's contract ( though small) is also incentive laden, so if he does get injured, or simply doesn't perform, we end up paying the veteran minimum. Overall Rices salary isn't a concern one way or another. It will be the "better" player, and IMHO that is how it should be. Mathews IMO is a PS candidate, and won't be snatched up quickly ( especially coming off injuries) if Rice or Harvin goes down, you have the "insurance" of Mathews, who is familiar with the system to provide that depth. If he blows up in training camp, and the pure season, you keep Mathews and simply cut Rices ( and his small salary that is only for this season anyway) and move on...

I could see that happening, Mathews to the PS and possibly be activated if/when Rice goes down. Otherwise let him compete again next year. I agree with other posters, WR position will likely be most talked about. Fun stuff!