Seahawks FO Finally Listens To Riverdog's Insight

[savvyman]

And signs Hauschka to a 3 year $ 9 million dollar deal.

I smell an Increase of the FO grade from a C to a C+?


Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 9m

The #Seahawks agreed to terms with productive kicker Steven Hauschka on a 3-year deal worth $9.15M, including $3.35M guaranteed, source says

[RiverDog]

And signs Hauschka to a 3 year $ 9 million dollar deal.

I smell an Increase of the FO grade from a C to a C+?


Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 9m

The #Seahawks agreed to terms with productive kicker Steven Hauschka on a 3-year deal worth $9.15M, including $3.35M guaranteed, source says

LOL! That will be the day. It still baffles me, though, why they ever let it get this far. The FT for a kicker was $3.55M, and this 3 year deal is virtually pennies less, unless it was us that was holding out for a long term contract at FT money.

Nevertheless, it is very good news and you're right, it does elevate our grade by 1/2 a point to a C+ or B-. Kickers are a dime a dozen, but the truly consistent ones that also do a good job of putting their KO's in the end zone are worth this much.

[Eaglehawk]

I started off with a D.
They restructed Miller C-.
Now that they resigned H, its a C.

Hopefully good things are left to come.

River, I am not too far behind you. Let's hope the FO keeps listening to you!

[savvyman]

Contract makes Hauschka the 11th highest paid Kicker in the league.

FO does it again with a value contract for a quality player.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000334572/article/seahawks-agree-to-terms-with-k-steven-hauschka?campaign=Twitter_atl

[NorthHawk]

Good news. Another issue out of the way.
Grade C edging towards C+, but it was a no brainer.

Edit:
Only 3.35 guaranteed. Very cap friendly if his performance drops off significantly.

[RiverDog]

That makes a little more sense now. I didn't realize there were that many kickers between the FT number and what H finally settled for. Thanks for the info.

[THX-1138]

That's a relief.

[Zorn76]

It took a while, it looks like, because they needed to hammer out details. At no point did we hear that he was shopping himself around, and I doubt it ever came close to him leaving.

I guess we all look at this stuff differently, because we really haven't lost anybody in FA that hinders our chances of repeating this fall. Consider, too, that the 49ers have whiffed on trying to sign players that would've meant real improvement, especially as it concerns WR and missing out on Thurmond. They are as tight on money / cap space as anybody right now.

Still, it's early. But we did add one more piece to the puzzle by keeping Hauschka. We re-signed Bennett and Miller, the latter of which I think is a bigger signing than most realize. It's nice, too, that pretty much none of our FA's went to division rivals.

We're gonna be in good shape when all is said and done.

[RiverDog]

It took a while, it looks like, because they needed to hammer out details. At no point did we hear that he was shopping himself around, and I doubt it ever came close to him leaving.

I guess we all look at this stuff differently, because we really haven't lost anybody in FA that hinders our chances of repeating this fall. Consider, too, that the 49ers have whiffed on trying to sign players that would've meant real improvement, especially as it concerns WR and missing out on Thurmond. They are as tight on money / cap space as anybody right now.

Still, it's early. But we did add one more piece to the puzzle by keeping Hauschka. We re-signed Bennett and Miller, the latter of which I think is a bigger signing than most realize. It's nice, too, that pretty much none of our FA's went to division rivals.

We're gonna be in good shape when all is said and done.

It could have been a lot worse, that's for sure. But until we at least maintain the status quo on the OL, we haven't completely defended the fort.

[Zorn76]

It took a while, it looks like, because they needed to hammer out details. At no point did we hear that he was shopping himself around, and I doubt it ever came close to him leaving.

I guess we all look at this stuff differently, because we really haven't lost anybody in FA that hinders our chances of repeating this fall. Consider, too, that the 49ers have whiffed on trying to sign players that would've meant real improvement, especially as it concerns WR and missing out on Thurmond. They are as tight on money / cap space as anybody right now.

Still, it's early. But we did add one more piece to the puzzle by keeping Hauschka. We re-signed Bennett and Miller, the latter of which I think is a bigger signing than most realize. It's nice, too, that pretty much none of our FA's went to division rivals.

We're gonna be in good shape when all is said and done.

It could have been a lot worse, that's for sure. But until we at least maintain the status quo on the OL, we haven't completely defended the fort.

I think the OL comes via draft at this point, and I think that's the best way to go. IMO, we're gonna be able to replace Breno (and likely Carp) with players that, at the very least, equal what we had last year. I really think there's a good chance that we're better up front, honestly.

I just can't lament the loss of a guy like Giacomini, mostly because, again, I think he's easily replaced by somebody we select in May. I get that rookies starting on your offensive line is tough, but they won't have to do much to raise the bar, IMO.

[HumanCockroach]

It took a while, it looks like, because they needed to hammer out details. At no point did we hear that he was shopping himself around, and I doubt it ever came close to him leaving.

I guess we all look at this stuff differently, because we really haven't lost anybody in FA that hinders our chances of repeating this fall. Consider, too, that the 49ers have whiffed on trying to sign players that would've meant real improvement, especially as it concerns WR and missing out on Thurmond. They are as tight on money / cap space as anybody right now.

Still, it's early. But we did add one more piece to the puzzle by keeping Hauschka. We re-signed Bennett and Miller, the latter of which I think is a bigger signing than most realize. It's nice, too, that pretty much none of our FA's went to division rivals.

We're gonna be in good shape when all is said and done.

It could have been a lot worse, that's for sure. But until we at least maintain the status quo on the OL, we haven't completely defended the fort.

I think the OL comes via draft at this point, and I think that's the best way to go. IMO, we're gonna be able to replace Breno (and likely Carp) with players that, at the very least, equal what we had last year. I really think there's a good chance that we're better up front, honestly.

I just can't lament the loss of a guy like Giacomini, mostly because, again, I think he's easily replaced by somebody we select in May. I get that rookies starting on your offensive line is tough, but they won't have to do much to raise the bar, IMO.

Thank god. REASON!

[RiverDog]

It took a while, it looks like, because they needed to hammer out details. At no point did we hear that he was shopping himself around, and I doubt it ever came close to him leaving.

I guess we all look at this stuff differently, because we really haven't lost anybody in FA that hinders our chances of repeating this fall. Consider, too, that the 49ers have whiffed on trying to sign players that would've meant real improvement, especially as it concerns WR and missing out on Thurmond. They are as tight on money / cap space as anybody right now.

Still, it's early. But we did add one more piece to the puzzle by keeping Hauschka. We re-signed Bennett and Miller, the latter of which I think is a bigger signing than most realize. It's nice, too, that pretty much none of our FA's went to division rivals.

We're gonna be in good shape when all is said and done.

It could have been a lot worse, that's for sure. But until we at least maintain the status quo on the OL, we haven't completely defended the fort.

I think the OL comes via draft at this point, and I think that's the best way to go. IMO, we're gonna be able to replace Breno (and likely Carp) with players that, at the very least, equal what we had last year. I really think there's a good chance that we're better up front, honestly.

I just can't lament the loss of a guy like Giacomini, mostly because, again, I think he's easily replaced by somebody we select in May. I get that rookies starting on your offensive line is tough, but they won't have to do much to raise the bar, IMO.

Unless we trade up, I doubt that we can find an offensive tackle in the draft at #32 that can start immediately, and without our #3, trading up is more problematic. If it were a guard we had to replace, then maybe, but offensive tackles are one of the first positions in the draft where the best players go off the board early.

But we'll see. I'm not running around saying that the sky is falling. I'm just frustrated at the indifference our FO is expressing towards the offensive line, and it didn't start with the failure to resign Breno.

[briwas101]

The last time the Hawks added a player on the offensive line as good as Giacomini was on January 28, 2011 when we signed McQuistan.

I get that people don't want to spend time worrying about replacing a guy like Giacomini, but it has literally been OVER THREE YEARS since we added a player to the offensive line as good as Breno.

There is absolutely ZERO evidence that the Hawks can fix the offensive line through the draft (carp and moffit...), let alone one single draft.

I'm not saying that everyone should be negative about the situation, but please explain your rose-colored optimism because in the last 1100+ days the Hawks have not added anyone that matches the player we lost.

PS. Funny how a thread about signing hauschka turns into a debate about OL.

[NorthHawk]

I think there are enough OL in the draft to be able to select one in the 1st or maybe 2nd round who could start. It's real deep this year.
Guys like Antonio Richardson or JuWan James both from Tennessee are 2 I believe could really help. Not sure they could step in right away, but Pete hasn't shown that being a rookie means a player doesn't have a chance to start. With the number of weaknesses along the line it wouldn't surprise me if they started a rookie along the line and let him learn.
If we had a solid line, one inexperienced player might be Ok, but we might be seeing 3 with a rookie, Bailey, and Bowie. I hope the last 2 have taken a big step forward as that would really solidify things up front.

[Eaglehawk]

It took a while, it looks like, because they needed to hammer out details. At no point did we hear that he was shopping himself around, and I doubt it ever came close to him leaving.

I guess we all look at this stuff differently, because we really haven't lost anybody in FA that hinders our chances of repeating this fall. Consider, too, that the 49ers have whiffed on trying to sign players that would've meant real improvement, especially as it concerns WR and missing out on Thurmond. They are as tight on money / cap space as anybody right now.

Still, it's early. But we did add one more piece to the puzzle by keeping Hauschka. We re-signed Bennett and Miller, the latter of which I think is a bigger signing than most realize. It's nice, too, that pretty much none of our FA's went to division rivals.

We're gonna be in good shape when all is said and done.

It could have been a lot worse, that's for sure. But until we at least maintain the status quo on the OL, we haven't completely defended the fort.

I think the OL comes via draft at this point, and I think that's the best way to go. IMO, we're gonna be able to replace Breno (and likely Carp) with players that, at the very least, equal what we had last year. I really think there's a good chance that we're better up front, honestly.

I just can't lament the loss of a guy like Giacomini, mostly because, again, I think he's easily replaced by somebody we select in May. I get that rookies starting on your offensive line is tough, but they won't have to do much to raise the bar, IMO.

Ain't that the truth.

[Bird Droppings]

Yeah, Dog, how many times did I protestith a certain placekicker ... just saying sooner or later he would cost us a game ... but I've been wrong.

Instead, he costs us a bunch of dough, but I won't say one bad word until he costs us a game.

The line now needs a nasty boy what with Giacominigone. Is that gonna be Bowie?

Bennett doesn't have that demeanor, does he Nanook?

But, I believe they are both keys.

They'' draft one fairly early, prefereably a guy who can play inside or outside.

McQuistain, with his versatility, won't make the squad this year. Too many slops last year.

Billy Turner of North Dakota State might play inside or outside but quandry is will they grab him with their second round pick.

Still see WR or Corner with their first rounder ... but, they could trade down from that.

Mush, Hauschka, Mush! You've got an OLine name after all.

They will get some line continuity one of these years, maybe.

zoom

[HumanCockroach]

Um, isn't McQuistan a FA? So unless they resign him, I don't see him making this squad either....

[Distant Relative]

Yeah, Dog, how many times did I protestith a certain placekicker ... just saying sooner or later he would cost us a game ... but I've been wrong.

Instead, he costs us a bunch of dough, but I won't say one bad word until he costs us a game.

The line now needs a nasty boy what with Giacominigone. Is that gonna be Bowie?

Bennett doesn't have that demeanor, does he Nanook?

But, I believe they are both keys.

They'' draft one fairly early, prefereably a guy who can play inside or outside.

McQuistain, with his versatility, won't make the squad this year. Too many slops last year.

Billy Turner of North Dakota State might play inside or outside but quandry is will they grab him with their second round pick.

Still see WR or Corner with their first rounder ... but, they could trade down from that.

Mush, Hauschka, Mush! You've got an OLine name after all.

They will get some line continuity one of these years, maybe.

zoom

Bird Droppings, nice to see you posting here! I hope you stick around here like a crow crap on a fresh new paint job.

[Bird Droppings]

Thanks, Faraway.

Most of my energy is gone ... and my aim isn't as precise anymore (note I meant Bailey, not Bennett, Nanook, as I don't think they're gonna try to switch him like they dis Sweezey).

And McQuistain hasn't gotten any action from what I've heard and somehow, if they're talking about bringing back Rice then any unsigned from last year could show up...I doubt it, but, at this point, I won't bet the house against it.

It was a lot more interesting to do draft previews back in the day when Ruskell was running things, and, if you look back a few years, most who tried to predict Hawk draft coures would be far happier living with their choices than those made by Father Timmy.

Why is it that I trust The Schneid so much more?

zoom

[burrrton]

If we had a solid line, one inexperienced player might be Ok, but we might be seeing 3 with a rookie, Bailey, and Bowie.

Bailey and Bowie aren't long-time starters, but I hardly think that should count as inexperienced.

[NorthHawk]

Playing about half a season is hardly being a veteran. He's still got a lot to learn.

[HumanCockroach]

Cripes. Either they aren't developing their talent, or they shouldn't be. You're flipping, you're flopping, you are all over the damn place.

They have young GOOD lineman, and you don't want them to play them?

[RiverDog]

I'm wondering if our instance on versatility, at least as it applies to the OL, is the right course to take. The argument about being able to play tackle or guard was used to justify the selection of Carpenter, and it turns out he couldn't play either one. Are we truly getting the best OL available when we insist on versatility or are we getting a jack of all trades/master of none?

[NorthHawk]

Cripes. Either they aren't developing their talent, or they shouldn't be. You're flipping, you're flopping, you are all over the damn place.

They have young GOOD lineman, and you don't want them to play them?

I didn't say that at all.
I said they they would develop faster with a veteran beside them.
Bowie is said to be a T. Someone like Asamoah is a Guard and only 25 . That combo would have been a great situation for Bowie to develop.
As it is we have 3 question marks (or at least a lot of room for improvement) on the OL - both Guards and RT. Not to mention an emergency LT.
Get a Vet for RG and use a youngster at RT.
60% of the OL being real raw players is a lot to ask of a championship team when everyone is gunning for you - it's OK when the team is developing, but that's not the case here.

[HumanCockroach]

Obviously the FO in place doesn't adhere to that theory, as they have shown a willingness, damn, a DESIRE to play young players where ever and when ever they can. Did you miss the last 4 years or what?

You can question the method, but I'm not entirely sure you can question the results. IMO spending that money would have been a stupid move, as it did NOT upgrade the line, and there were BETTER lineman on the team. Seems to me there are two groups. People that want to spend the money, regardless of whether it improves the line, just for the sake of it, and those who only want to spend that money if it is a perceptible upgrade. Same with draft picks. I've seen names floated that are WORSE lineman as some sort of justification to the former position, and more often than not, it is the same folks bemoaning how bad Giacomini and others were.

Sure MAYBE Asomoah MIGHT have improved the line, I said so in my post, but "might" isn't worth it, cap wise. You want "mights", wait and see who does not have a contract 15 days into free agency, you want bandaids, wait, they will still be there, or wait for the draft and gamble, it is after all, what the draft is, a big ol' crap shoot.

Pressing in free agency ties a teams hands long term, I personally want sustained success, which means drafting smart, retaining your own players that are worth retaining, and signing only those that upgrade your team, Asomoah or penn or any other average lineman, doesn't accomplish any of those..

[NorthHawk]

And that's how we got to a 26th rank OL.
Sure, you can risk Wilson's health betting on his ability to scramble, but at some point OL has to be addressed.
I'm saying risking your Franchise QB is too much. We gambled and won last 2 years, but eventually it'll catch up to us.
By the way, some people have Asamoah ranked in the top 10 Guards for ZBS - which we run. A huge improvement, not just marginal and he was signed at a very good price.

[HumanCockroach]

Am I to understand that it is your belief that having 3 of the 5 offensive lineman miss multiple games had nothing to do with that ranking? As I pointed out, one of the most interesting things I found in the article was the fact that 4 of the top5 offensive lines were on teams that not only didn't appear in the playoffs, but were in general horrible teams.

If Wilson gets hurt, that sucks, no two ways about it, however ASSUMING he will, is pointless. QB's get hurt whether they have the first ranked offensive line, or the last, it is part of the game. Wilson throws on average 25 times a game, far less than the normal rate, which means what exactly, that the CHANCE he will be hurt is mitigated by how many passes he throws. Even if you want to claim that the chance goes up because of the line ( which as of yet, you cannot claim as accurate, because you do NOT have any idea who is lining up there come game one next season, have no idea how much players already ON the team will improve, and no idea if they will draft or sign someone between now and then) it is lowered because of the offense run.

Not sure how you have missed TWICE that I posted Asomoah was an interesting idea, but they idea that he would definitely improve the line is silly. You can't, and don't know that. He ranked BELOW what is already here according to PFF and couldn't even get back on the field LAST year ( ie. He was the THIRD best guard on that team. KC).

[NorthHawk]

The lack of quality depth by picking up late round picks/UFAs is why we ranked 26th.
By adding quality players, the distance between the starters and subs is less therefore the dropoff in play is less.
It's pretty simple, really.

BleacherReport had Asomoah as the 6th best Guard in 2012. Perhaps the change in scheme didn't fit his abilities as well as the ZBS does.

[RiverDog]

Am I to understand that it is your belief that having 3 of the 5 offensive lineman miss multiple games had nothing to do with that ranking? As I pointed out, one of the most interesting things I found in the article was the fact that 4 of the top5 offensive lines were on teams that not only didn't appear in the playoffs, but were in general horrible teams.

If Wilson gets hurt, that sucks, no two ways about it, however ASSUMING he will, is pointless. QB's get hurt whether they have the first ranked offensive line, or the last, it is part of the game. Wilson throws on average 25 times a game, far less than the normal rate, which means what exactly, that the CHANCE he will be hurt is mitigated by how many passes he throws. Even if you want to claim that the chance goes up because of the line ( which as of yet, you cannot claim as accurate, because you do NOT have any idea who is lining up there come game one next season, have no idea how much players already ON the team will improve, and no idea if they will draft or sign someone between now and then) it is lowered because of the offense run.

Not sure how you have missed TWICE that I posted Asomoah was an interesting idea, but they idea that he would definitely improve the line is silly. You can't, and don't know that. He ranked BELOW what is already here according to PFF and couldn't even get back on the field LAST year ( ie. He was the THIRD best guard on that team. KC).

Even when healthy, our offensive line struggled. One of our worst performances of the year, if not the worst, was when everyone was healthy and playing at home when we lost to a non playoff team in the Cards. You could have fooled me if I didn't know in advance that Okung and Unger were Pro Bowlers. They certainly didn't play like Pro Bowlers.

[HumanCockroach]

http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/2014 ... ays-agent/

Have no issue with saying you want the line improved, I do as well, I have issue with people saying they could have brought and signed multiple free agents that weren't perceptible upgrades, or far to expensive. Neither is the case. I also don't believe that there is a significant drop off between young players like Bowie and Bailey, that people continue to INSIST is the case over players like Giacomini and McQuistan, there simply isn't the evidence that says that is the case.

Also the insistence that Wilson WILL be hurt because of it reeks of nothing more than panic, and fretting for the sake of fretting. They ARE addressing the line. Some understand that the COST of some average to slightly above average players wasn't worth a core member of the Seahawks SB winning team. We are NOT discussing top notch stud lineman for the guard and RT position, as there weren't any available, and you don't spend that money on them anyway. If there is a Hutch or a Jones in the group, I certainly, did NOT see them, and nor did anyone else, as every name was either average or WORSE than average or were an expensive bandaid.

They have signed two, will sign more, draft some and let them fight for spots, no different than EVERY other position since they took over it's worked so far, with phenomenal results. I'll let it play out.;

[RiverDog]

http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/2014/03/20/seattle-seahawks-sign-bellevue-native-g-stephen-schilling-says-agent/

Have no issue with saying you want the line improved, I do as well, I have issue with people saying they could have brought and signed multiple free agents that weren't perceptible upgrades, or far to expensive. Neither is the case. I also don't believe that there is a significant drop off between young players like Bowie and Bailey, that people continue to INSIST is the case over players like Giacomini and McQuistan, there simply isn't the evidence that says that is the case.

Also the insistence that Wilson WILL be hurt because of it reeks of nothing more than panic, and fretting for the sake of fretting. They ARE addressing the line. Some understand that the COST of some average to slightly above average players wasn't worth a core member of the Seahawks SB winning team. We are NOT discussing top notch stud lineman for the guard and RT position, as there weren't any available, and you don't spend that money on them anyway. If there is a Hutch or a Jones in the group, I certainly, did NOT see them, and nor did anyone else, as every name was either average or WORSE than average or were an expensive bandaid.

They have signed two, will sign more, draft some and let them fight for spots, no different than EVERY other position since they took over it's worked so far, with phenomenal results. I'll let it play out.;

Yea, I do think that worrying about Russell's health is taking the cause a little too far. But there is what I call the David Carr syndrome, where a quarterback comes under so much pressure that he starts to get gun shy and worried about where the next hit is going to come from and isn't concentrating on completing passes and making plays. If we want Russell to thrive, we need to surround him with top flight talent, and I see scant evidence of any significant attempt by our FO in the past two years to upgrade an area that's been a weakness well before the arrival of our current regime.

I'm content to wait until the draft and see what the makeup of our offensive line might look like, but at this point, it looks like we've regressed. But we'll see. It's a long time until September.

[HumanCockroach]

Again LOL, "top flight talent" does NOT reside solely and only on the offensive line. Jeebus. Aren't YOU the one that hated and STILL hates the Harvin move? I don't see you all up in arms about not making a push to sign or trade for guys like Marshall, or Decker. In fact I think it was YOU telling us all the follies of investing in a receiver core.... LMAO, you make NO sense. There wasn't ANY "top flight talent" to be had on the offensive line, either in free agency OR the draft, doesn't take much investigating to figure that out.

Wilson is NOT Stafford, or Rodgers, or Manning, or Brees he simply ISN'T going to be throwing the ball around the field like some of the QB's of today. NOT going to happen.

Why people continue to BELIEVE that the onus of this team is it's passing game is beyond me, teams with QB's that throw that much do indeed have everything built around them, problem is, there IS a cost, and that means the defence suffers, look it up. Should that be the case in Seattle, you would have the SAME people lamenting not spending enough on THAT side of the ball.

Please refresh my memory, did the team with the "highest" ranked offensive line win the SB? Or was it the team that "bargain" hunted ( though completely an erroneous statement) and "invested" in the defensive line ( which by the way was in the SAME bargain basement bin, how quick people forget WHERE we got that line, and how much it cost)?