Season Retro: Sean Locklear

by John Morgan on May 30, 2008 10:32 AM PDT in 2007 Season Review Comment 7 comments

Sean Locklear

Stats*

TBA

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

N/A

Lowlights

11/4/07

Overtime. The Hawks win the flip and start their drive on their own 30. Against a soft rush, Beck improvises a rollout and completes a 17 yard strike to Bobby Engram. After a two yard dish, and an incomplete forced by a blown block by Lock, the Hawks are staring down third and eight. Seattle sets up 4 wide, Weaver the lone back; at the snap, Cleveland rushes 3 but gets pressure when Lock blows another block allowing Orpheus Roye to get free. Sensing the rush, Beck scrambles, catches a good block by Sims and dives...for...the...first! The officials measure, review and overturn, rightly determining that Beck only rushed for 7 - and a half. The Seahawks go for it. Half-a-yard and the drive's sustained, Seattle will have 3+ downs to crawl 10 yards into the outer limits of Brown's range. The Hawks break huddle with three wide receivers, Will Heller on the left end and Morris the lone back. At the snap, Rob Sims pulls, Chris Spencer springs upright against two Browns defenders and is exploded back, Sims glances off his blocker, and Morris does little more than plunge ahead into the barely visible crease between Sims and the collapsed Walter Jones. He's well short of the first. Browns' ball. Game over.

Outlook

Sean Locklear, like Kelly Jennings, is best recognized for how infrequently he forces you to recognize him. Locklear is a steady right offensive tackle that excels against speed rushers. His greatest weakness is a sustained bull rush. His poorest showings were both against 3-4 defenses, at Cleveland and at Pittsburgh. I don’t expect Locklear to play especially better this coming season, but I do think three separate factors will improve the perception of his play. The first is a running back capable of reaching the edge. Seattle ran the ball just 38 times off right end, and was the third worst team in football at doing so. The second is replacing Chris Gray with Rob Sims. Gray’s failings put an undue burden on Locklear. I didn't think this play qualified as a highlight or lowlight, but it does elucidate the travails of playing beside a human turnstile:

[My] biggest concern about Spencer is that he's simply not showing the power you expect from him. It's possible that he's suffering collaterally from Gray's poor play. Sean Locklear sure is. Lock likely got charged for allowing Beck's fourth sack of the game, but Gray was largely to blame. Hawks, three wide, single back, tight end formation; after the snap the Saints stunt on the right offensive side. Brian Young moves aggressively right, pushing Gray back and into Lock, Lock is essentially picked out of the play and Charles Grant stunts in to the gaping hole along the right "A" gap. Sack, play over, Gray looks gassed and if anyone, anyone can play a serviceable right guard in practice it might be time to begin giving them looks.

Sims and Locklear should comprise an excellent pass blocking right side. And third, Seattle plays its tight end mostly off right tackle. While Marcus Pollard was not a terrible blocker, John Carlson is stronger and so much more of receiving threat that he should improve Seattle’s ability to run off right tackle and around right end.

The question that remains for Locklear is can he become a solid left tackle? I’m skeptical. He looked excellent in last year’s preseason, but though he’s quick, agile and has good technique, he lacks vital strength. He doesn’t blow opponents off the line run blocking and given his weakness to the bull rush, can easily be game planned against. On the right he can be regularly aided by a tight end, but on he left he will be asked to more often block alone. Further, while a defense lacks incentive to game plan against a right tackle, all defenses attempt to overwhelm and exploit whatever weakness they can against an opposing left tackle. A vulnerable blindside is death to the passing attack. Lock turned 27 yesterday. He’s entering his peak power/athleticism seasons. It’s possible he improves his strength and takes that next step, becoming a well-rounded, sturdy left tackle. If he can, his recent extension will be a bargain.

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Comments

Lock would be quite undersized for an LT.

by redwolf75 on May 30, 2008 7:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This really drives home

how amazing it was that our O played as well as it did with Gray at RG; I’m still a little nervous about our WR corps, but with Wahle in for Sims at LG, Sims presumably in for Gray at RG, assuming Carlson gives us solid two-way play at TE and that at least one of our RBs plays well, we should have a much better O than last year.

by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 1, 2008 2:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Even though our offense is constructed perfectly to absorb the impact,

we’re still setting ourselves up for some SERIOUS problems with the WR corps. I mean, no Branch (who isn’t a legit #1 or anything, but he’s our best) is one thing, but when your go-to-guy is 35, coming off unprecedented success and unhappy about his contract..who’s #3? Burleson? This could really get ugly, guys…

We’re going to need the RB to perform like we hope they can, not like we think they will. Otherwise our consistency is going to be all over the place..and unlike baseball, consistency is pretty important in football.

by misterjonez on Jun 1, 2008 6:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not that worried about our WR corp.

While I don’t agree with John that because Holmgren has never had a great reciever we don’t need to try to get him one (also applies to TE), he’s certainly right about his success without much talent at the position. Look at what we had in 2005: Jurevicious, Engram and Stevens. Thats a pretty underwhelming group. Of course there was Shaun and the o-line in their prime, but our defense is so much better now than it was then that we don’t need our offense to be the juggernaut that it was in our super bowl year.

Also, I think our young receivers deserve a lot more love. Personally I’m a fan of Obomanu. even if he is a little maligned. I don’t think it’s too much to expect Courtney Taylor, Obomanu, and John Carlson to step up and provide some production. Lets not forget that Branch and Hackett were hurt for much of last year and we did alright.

I may have missed it, but I don’t remember a season review of Deion Branch. Possibly because he didn’t have much of a season. I think that when he’s in the game and healthy he’s a special player, he does a lot of little things and seems very dependable. He’s not a flashy number 1, but I think you’re way off if you say he’s not a legit number 1. I’d say he’s a middle of the pack first option, which is more than enough in a Holmgren led O.

by Nate Dogg on Jun 1, 2008 7:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't feel as sure about Obomanu

but I still think he has the chance to be a good, productive WR; and I think Taylor’s going to be better than Hackett, if (unlike DJ) he can stay healthy. If Branch heals well, I agree with you, in this offense he’s a special player. The thing is, that’s a collection of “if”s and uncertainties; we just don’t have anyone we can look at and say, that guy’s young enough, healthy enough, talented enough, and proven enough that we can be sure he’s going to give us a good year. Of course, that’s really an illusion—you neve really can be sure, even of the “sure things”; it’s a visceral reaction, not a real one. That doesn’t make it any less real, though, or keep it from coloring one’s view of things.

by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 2, 2008 6:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The recievers will eventually get open

if the oline can actually hold their blocks, plus we will be able to use play action this year

by xSAMx on Jun 1, 2008 6:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Good point

If John’s hopes for Julius Jones bear out-that he has a renaissance in an offensive scheme that suits him, behind a line that suits him, for a coach who appreciates what he offers-then barring major injury, I think everything will fall into place. If not, Morris or Duckett or maybe Weaver (or some combination) should give us enough that our O should move the ball just fine anyway.

by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 2, 2008 6:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs