Burleson on the Mend
by abender20 on Mar 27, 2009 8:28 AM PDT
in Daily Links
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After destroying his knee against Buffalo last year, Nate Burleson has had an offseason full of rehab. The good news for Seattle, however, is that Nate is apparently close to full strength.
“That’s in my mind to come back faster than I was before,” Burleson said. “Originally, when I heard that, it really didn’t make sense physiologically. But when I started to work out, you’re not just maintenance lifting.
“Most of the time you’re just trying to maintain where you are, and you’re just trying to stay healthy and keep in shape. But with the rehabilitation it’s more of a college workout. … So I probably am going to come back more explosive.”
Burleson is also excited about the group of receivers the Seahawks have put together:
Burleson said he believes adding the talented possession receiver to a corps of receivers that already includes Branch, Burleson and tight end John Carlson makes Seattle one of the more explosive offenses in the league.
As long as Burleson, Branch, and Houshmandzadeh all stay healthy, Seattle should be a lot of fun to watch on offense. After all, I'm fairly sure the injuries last year were just a down payment for a full year of absolute health in 2009.
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Optimism runs deep
this time of year. How will we feel when Burleson doesn’t hit the field on time in Summer camp? Hopefully we will be as optimistic. We need to see explosion out of Branch and Burleson this season. On paper this team does not have deep speed.
by Section 128 on Mar 27, 2009 9:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
It will be interesting to see
if Nate does any returning again. I would venture to guess no. Wilson does a fine job at KR, but PR’s could use a boost. Maybe we get that guy in the draft.
Burleson’s return would give us 4 good-great targets. I hope they can stay on the field.
by Misfit74 on Mar 27, 2009 9:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
One of those seventh round comp picks could be used on one of the pure kick return kind of guys.
by abender20 on Mar 27, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting idea
assuming we could find one— do any teams reserve a roster spot for a guy who only does returns?
by shams on Mar 27, 2009 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wilson?
Can someone provide us with evidence that Wilson is good at returning Kicks? Maybe I didn’t have my spectatcles on last year, but his Kick returns were nothing special.
by Walterius on Mar 27, 2009 9:31 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
He led the league in returns of 20 or more yards
he was second in returns of 40 or more yards. He had the most return yards in football by almost 300 yards. I’m not certain I would say he is special, he’s a liability to fumble and doesn’t have the best deep speed, but he’s certainly very good.
by John Morgan on Mar 27, 2009 9:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That sounds like pretty good evidence to me...
It would be nice to have a true, true burner on the team, though. The kind that make you gasp despite yourself when they accelerate….
by Hawkdawg on Mar 27, 2009 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought Burleson was better, though.
Wilson is supposedly fast, but Burly’s little jukes seemed to do more damage.
by djafrot on Mar 27, 2009 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
True burner?
Wilson is one of the fastest players in the league.
by LantermanC on Mar 27, 2009 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
is that because of many opportunities?
I could look this up myself but I really have no idea where to find NFL stats.
But our defense was giving up lots of TD’s and that means lots of kick return opportunities. That could end up with lost of ‘most _’ kind of stats.
by Snuffleupagus on Mar 27, 2009 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seriously?
Wilson’s kick returns were one of very few bright spots from last year’s season …
by Nick Andron on Mar 27, 2009 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wilson was good last year, until he had to start picking up the slack at Corner......
if we can get another every down CB, like Vonte Davis, Malcolm Jenkins, and use Jennings as a Nickleback. A fresh legged Wilson could return punts, and Kicks. This would also allow Burleson to stay fresh as a WR.
Cogito Ergo Sum
by censor1979 on Mar 27, 2009 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fresh legged?
He can’t run an extra 100 yards per game?
by LantermanC on Mar 27, 2009 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You must not play sports.
Cogito Ergo Sum
by censor1979 on Mar 27, 2009 8:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
As ABender pointed out
Drafting a CB to only play CB just so Josh Wilson can return kicks and not play any defense is ludicrous. Would you put Ichiro at DH to save his legs from getting those 1-5 fly balls per game so he would steal more bases?
Sure it’d be great to get Wilson’s legs feeling a bit less tired, but if it means we have to not put him in at defense and draft a Jenkins because of it rather than Stafford or Monroe or whomever, its certainly not worth it. My point was that he runs around a lot at practice, he lifts weights, he runs around a lot on defense. Returning 4 kick offs per game isn’t going to affect him all that much.
And no, you’re wrong, I do play sports. I’ll admit, I’m not very good at sports, but I have run 100 miles in a week, and that extra 1% wouldn’t affect me.
by LantermanC on Mar 27, 2009 8:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, now that I think about it
whether or not I play sports is irrelevant. The way you said it, you make it seems as though you’re saying ‘You must not play sports (therefore you don’t know what you’re talking about. I on the other hand do, so I know what I’m saying). When really it shouldn’t matter. The best physical therapist or sports injury doctor in the world need not play sports to be the best, just as the best coach in the world need not play or be good at the sport he coaches to be knowledgeable in the sport he coaches.
As for kickoffs, some of the better kickoff returners did not do much else simply because they weren’t good at anything else. Dante Hall and Allen Rossum didn’t play much because they simply were not that great. Devin Hester, as good of a kick returner as he is, is still being tried out in the field simply because it would maximize his value. Wilson is a great, if not elite, kick return man, but he has a chance to be a good corner back as well.
by LantermanC on Mar 27, 2009 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And let me add, not only does LantermanC play sports
He is Josh Wilson. And he thinks playing corner keeps him limber for kick returns.
by John Morgan on Mar 27, 2009 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great, now we have Wilson AND Ruskell on these boards
It's great to be a Florida Gator!
by Wayward Llama on Mar 27, 2009 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If only I had let my irrational love of Branch show
maybe I could have a nick name too.
by Nate Dogg on Mar 27, 2009 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Perhaps everyone here is simply another member of the Seahawks
It would explain a lot of irrational love.
by Ezzra on Mar 27, 2009 11:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fearless frog...
Posted a picture of Andre Smith’s moobs (he wasn’t wearing a mansiere).
Maybe Frog is Smith?
by iverson2169 on Mar 28, 2009 12:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
draft
me
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 28, 2009 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe that was a low blow, my bad.
Cogito Ergo Sum
by censor1979 on Mar 28, 2009 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yea Hester was much more productive last year at KR-PR.
You should have a spot on your roster for a specialist at KR-PR. Late 4th quarter you can put Burley back to return 1. I just think Wilson has rare talent in the return game.
Wilson would also be a great insurance policy at CB. Thats just Luda.
Cogito Ergo Sum
by censor1979 on Mar 28, 2009 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wilson is a young and improving corner,
There’s little indication Jennings can be a great nickelback, Vontae Davis might be the defensive version of his brother.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 27, 2009 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I never said great in regards to Jennings..
And Vonte might also be the SugarPlum Fairy, but he is a first round CB.
Cogito Ergo Sum
by censor1979 on Mar 27, 2009 8:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can we chalk up those extra 300 yards to the fact that we got scored on alot last year?
I do however love the 40 yard stat, what was the league avg on returns last year anyway?
by Walterius on Mar 27, 2009 10:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Remember to press the "reply" button when you're replying
to a specific peron’s post.
by redwolf75 on Mar 27, 2009 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He had 14 more KRs than anyone else in the league
so that factors, but his return average is still good and it’s noteworthy that he was able to sustain the average over so many returns.
by John Morgan on Mar 27, 2009 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Any reason to believe this report?
Is there some reason to believe this optimistic injury report on Burleson more than the most recent optimistic reports on Walter Jones, who is said to be ahead of schedule, or on Hasselbeck, who says his back is “better than ever?”
by ZZtown on Mar 27, 2009 11:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Remember when Deion Branch was totally ready to go for Week One last season?
Man, he just sliced through that Buffalo defense like they couldn’t see him…. like he wasn’t even there.
"Why is it every time I need to get somewhere, we get waylaid by jackassery?" - Dr. Venture
by Eegah on Mar 27, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Losing Burleson had a bigger impact than I thought it would
He really is quite the playmaker and an explosive player.
Between Burleson and Kerney going down that’s 11 tds and 14.5 sacks. If we had 11 tds and 14.5 sacks to spread out over the course of last season there would have been some significantly different outcomes.
by puerto on Mar 27, 2009 3:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I can't wait for the season to start
A healthy Hasselbeck, Branch, Burleson, along with TJ and Carlson. Maybe someone else in the draft. Man, c’mon already! Now if only players injuries were like lightening and won’t strike twice in the same spot.
by B.B.Finnegan on Mar 27, 2009 6:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
With everyone healthy....
How do you see the the catch distribution looking by years end?
Lets say the Seahawks complete 320 passes this year: A slight bounce back year considering last years injuries.
Housh: 82
Branch: 62
Carlson: 52
Burley: 46
Julius Jones: 25
Obomanu: 18
Taylor: 14
Fullback: 10
Payne: 6
Bumpas: 5
Do these look like realistic expectations? or too aggressive?
by iverson2169 on Mar 27, 2009 8:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Sounds reasonable.
Though, I think it’s been a while since the Seahawks had 4 different players with 40+ receptions, and I think if the ball got distributed in that fashion, it would make their offense that much more efficient. I think the last time that happened was in 2003.
However, if Matt Hasselbeck maintains his career completion percentage (60.1%), then we can safely conclude that he’d have to have thrown the ball about 533 times during the season. I’m not sure if he will get the opportunity to throw that many times this year, if the Seahawks really do plan on being more run-oriented. The last time that a Gregg Knapp offense threw the ball more than it ran the ball was back when he was coaching for the 49ers.
That’s not to say that it won’t happen, as Knapp does seem to call plays based on the strength of his team, and with the acquisition of Houshmandzadeh, that could very well be the case. In San Francisco, he had Terrell Owens, Tai Streets, and J.J. Stokes. Then there was Kevin Barlow who was utilized a bit in their passing game. In Atlanta and Oakland, the best way for them to move the ball and score was for them to run the ball.
by Carl Shinyama on Mar 27, 2009 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The last time Knapp had a QB that was above average
and not below average was in San Francisco. Also, for some reason I want to believe that Hasselbeck in this offense would complete more than 60% of his passes. With a 2nd year Carlson, Housh, Branch and Burleson, that seems to me like it could be his best recieving crew yet.
His best completion % was in 2005, when on top of a really strong running game he had Jurevicius, Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, and Jerramy Stevens. Stevens and D-Jack were more focused and dropped the ball less, but they didn’t eliminate their problems.
That was Stevens’ best season, yet Carlson’s rookie season was statistically better. And 05 is the only year I remember being a solid 3 deep in NFL starter-level WRs. This year Seattle could have as good or better of a starting 3 with only Burleson likely to drop the ball, and a surehanded recieving TE.
I want to believe that will mean a resurgence for Matt Hasselbeck, who threw for nearly 4000 yards and a 62.6 completion % to Engram, Burleson, a little Branch, DJ Hackett, and Marcus Pollard sucking it up on sundays. Of course Leonard Weaver picked up the slack with 39 receptions as an outlet option, but I still believe that this year should rank #1 or #2 in terms of weapons for Hasselbeck.
by cashless on Mar 27, 2009 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Your right Carl...
I did exclude Knapp’s influence on the offense. Maybe the above numbers are about 10% high.
by iverson2169 on Mar 27, 2009 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I could see 320 happening, maybe
pass completions under 49ers (though i don’t think in 2002 he was calling the plays)
2003 – 299
2002 – 354
What’s interesting though is I looked at the four games Knapp called the plays in Oakland he called 117 passes and 90 runs. 38 of those runs came in one game. Of course, that was the one win and in the other games they were behind a lot. He also didn’t have nearly the talent he’ll have with Seattle.
by B.B.Finnegan on Mar 28, 2009 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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