I'm Seattle GM and here's my attempt to fix this team
by Joshua Kasparek on Dec 21, 2009 9:43 AM PST
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The first thing I would accept in evaluating this team is the pure lack of talent. It's not necessarily a cut here and a move there. A staff change yesterday. I'm about to make a statement that will make this post unreadable to some, but my first issue is not to fire Jim Mora. My first thing I would do is cut every big contract of players that are not contributors on a weekly basis of above average play. Some players are tradeable for draft picks and so each player will be evaluated for that. And every scenario for more draft picks will be where my focus is.
Next, you don't draft for systems, you draft talent across the board. You need only look at the Cardinals and their playmakers where all brought in under Dennis Green. Ken reworked the line, but the major game breakers are all pre wisenhunt guys who are now peaking to their ability
The next thing, trade out of the 8th pick in the draft for even more picks The truth is, cutting all the big contracts will put you through salary cap hell for the next year or two, but free agents are the way I would glue the young talent together after I'm sure I have a competitive (key word) team in place.
The Issue of Jim Mora will be my last decision. and would probably waits a year. For a couple of reasons. I'm likely a first time GM and unless I have a strong relationship with someone of value, Ala Thomas Dimitrov and Mike Smith I'll use the year to watch Mora work with the younger talent infused team while perhaps getting a list of good candidates that aren't big names, but are innovators in the league like Ken Wisenhunt was or even a Steve Spagnulo. If it turns out a talent infusion allows Mora to be a better success then that's a win, win.
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Well let's be specific and figure out what the ramifications are
I agree with you in principle, but which players? And what are the salary cap ramifications?
Players-wise, I would say Patrick Kerney is the first to go, followed by Deion Branch. I’m sure there will be others. You could argue Trufant as well, but I wonder how much of his poor performance lately is coming back too soon from injury, and if so, whether he can regain form next year.
I agree with trading down. When you have this many leaks on your boat, plugging in one of them with superglue doesn’t help fix the other leaks too.
In an effort to minimize fanposts about 'what I would do if I were a GM',
is it alright if I request that people who have such a plan or vision on what this team needs put their plans here instead of making their own fan post?
Though I suppose that would border dangerously close to rosterbating, so plans should be generalized
as to certain player acquisitions?
I was trying to provide a general approach to GM rather than name battling.
So the comments might be better suited to approaches that are general move types with no names necessarily attached, but we know who’s being talked about.
My approach is based on the titans approach after an injury riddled 2004 season where they dismissed all their big money talent and drafted young both literally and figuratively. It’s probably wrong because Jeff Fisher was cemented in there as the coach. But I think the overall model was good.
by Joshua Kasparek on Dec 21, 2009 11:35 AM PST up reply actions
Oh I'm fine with your post (not that I have any say)
I just think it’s odd that when someone puts up an idea, other people put up new fanposts of different variations on the same idea when they could just expand on it or offer an alternative.
I think Richard Marshall will be a FA.
Corner is still a need. I’d prefer not to draft a rookie (Hayden). Get that guy.
This.
One quibble I have.
Next, you don’t draft for systems, you draft talent across the board.
Now I kind of agree with this, but if you have a zone blocking scheme, you draft accordingly, or a 3-4, or a scheme where you rotate tackles more often, etc. Obviously guys like Mario Williams and Troy Polomalu can play in any scheme well, but some guys just fit certain schemes better. You wouldn’t see us draft Johnny Knox because no one could throw it to him deep, plus I’m not sure we have too many deep throws in our play book.
Looks official, but I haven't been able to confirm elsewhere:
Holmgren signs w/ Browns:
http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/mike_holmgren_signs_with_browns.html
This.
I wish him luck, and hope he turns that franchise around.
I also like Brady Quinn, so it would be nice if he could turn him into a pro bowl caliber QB.
This could seriously mean the Browns go w/ that plan and pass on a 1st round QB
Though, I thought they might anyway, Holmgren all but assures it, I think.
This.
One thing I wonder is did Ruskell ever look at how players played within the play of others.
I’m starting to wonder if Sean Locklear got more credit that really belonged to Jerramy Stevens. As a run blocker he was awful in 2007. Even when Mo ran behind the line.
by Joshua Kasparek on Dec 21, 2009 2:55 PM PST reply actions
Can I ask why you prefer to draft talent across the board
as opposed to players that fit our scheme?
Yep, we run a West-Coast style offense
and supposedly a Tampa-2 zone-based defense
Personally, I’m a fan of the WCO but I dislike the Tampa-2 (unless its the Colts running it)
I think offensive players are less specialised to their scheme; with the Tampa 2 it’s more evident that you need athletic players that are good in coverage. But I play defense, I’m probably biased.
What ever happened to the West Coast Defense?
I guess defenses only get nicknames when they’re good.
This.
True dat.
Don’t get to hear Tim Lewis talk very much, but whenever he does, he sounds half crazy like Greg Blache. I’ve come to believe he was just talking out his rear and TNT took the phrase and turned it into a modest post of speculation, and those of us too eager to believe what we wanted took it and ran with it. I feel pretty significantly responsible for building the hype and myth of a WCD, especially in this community. It was by far the most intriguing part of the offseason the legion of changes that came about this year, and I really badly wanted it to become something.
I sill want to see a pioneering, Fire Zone & 4-3 Under defense take the league by storm, while wearing nuclear cabbage, but neither the defense nor the jerseys delivered in field, and as ridiculous as it is to “retire” the jerseys, if they truly are, it would be hard to argue with the term West Coast Defense also being retired at this point, no matter how dominating and/or pioneering a defense Seattle ever may come to employ in the future.
by jacobstevens on Dec 23, 2009 2:09 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Because Guys like Alexander aren't scheme fitters, they're unique talents you can't pass up
I feel like instead of drafting the talent, we’ve drafted specific scheme talented players but schemes can change quickily leaving that player out of his element.
by Joshua Kasparek on Dec 21, 2009 3:16 PM PST reply actions
Good point
When rare talents come around in my opinion you should grab them if you can. I’d rather play them than play against them
But is there a player in this draft that fits the definition of ‘rare talent’?
All 3.
Chris Johnson sure was a rare talent and the Titans didn’t even need a RB, having taken RBs in the first few rounds in two previous years. They swung for the fences and hit a grand slam.
Spiller, Suh, or Berry (and probably others) could all have a unique effect on this team.
This.
The Cardinals' offense is not doing good because the pre-Whisenhunt players are peaking at their abilities, though it is a contributing factor.
They are successful because the O-line has come into their own as a really good, cohesive pass-blocking unit.
Sam Bradford, future Seattle Seahawk.
When Warner is done, so are the Cardinals.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
"I never met a llama I didn't like." - TJ Duckett
All I want for Christmas is Joe Haden, Eric Berry, and Nandamukong Suh in Seahawks blue.
by Wayward Llama on Dec 22, 2009 3:50 AM PST up reply actions
I dissagree with your assessment of Arizona's O-line.
I’d say they are successful due to a QB that is very smart and gets rid of the ball after making quick, well-calculated decisions. Their line is fairly average and I credit their fairly low sack-rate largely to Warner. Those tackles have been abused at times this year – Warner has been hit a lot even when not sacked.
This.
Warner used to get sacked a shit ton of times in Arizona. He didn't do anything alleviate their sack rate.
No, their pass protection is largely due to their O-line coming into their own, not Warner.
Sam Bradford, future Seattle Seahawk.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 24, 2009 7:44 AM PST up reply actions
Not to mention, they cut down on the amount of false starts and holding penalties, penalties that would kill drives for them from previous years.
Sam Bradford, future Seattle Seahawk.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 24, 2009 7:45 AM PST up reply actions
SF sacked him 4 times and forced 2 fumbles the next week.
STL even got him twice between Chris Long and a Leonard Little. I don’t think Jared Allen was erased by the left-tackle by himself.
This.
The Cardinals LT (Gandy, is it?) did a good job
But he was double-teamed or chipped for much of the game. I think he only got one hurry, from what I remember
From Audibles (FOs)
“Cliff Avril’s having a huge game for the Lions, beating Levi Brown repeatedly. He’s got a couple of pressures and, on a two-minute drive extended by a stupid Lions penalty, a strip-sack of Warner to kill the ”http://footballoutsiders.com/audibles/2009/audibles-line-week-15" target="new">drive."
This.
Cliff Avril's on my fantasy team...
he hasn’t had a huge game this year. He had A sack, and a tackle for a loss against the Cards. He’s been pretty worthless, and was a disappointment to me…
Not sure about “huge” there. Anyway…
Bird Law in this country isn't governed by reason.
by Tyler Jorgensen on Dec 22, 2009 10:44 PM PST up reply actions
The only point I was really trying to make, having watched several Arizona games this year...
was that their offensive tackles often get abused. I think they are a weakness of that team.
This.
I gotcha. I'm bitter.
Both my money fantasy league teams got cursed by some horrible luck in the last week…
Bird Law in this country isn't governed by reason.
by Tyler Jorgensen on Dec 23, 2009 12:54 PM PST up reply actions
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