Seattle Seahawks Training Camp Report: 8/3/2009

by John Morgan on Aug 3, 2009 12:30 PM PDT

Maybe Brian Russell is safe at free safety:

Hawks general manager Tim Ruskell mentioned in our conversation with him last week that Brian Russell would have some competition from Jordan Babineaux during training camp, but that hasn’t seemed to trickle down to the field.

“I don’t know if that’s the case,” Lewis said. “Brian’s the starting safety, and Babs works with the second group.”

Lewis noted that head coach Jim Mora ultimately will decide who the starts at free safety. But for right now, Russell has been getting all of the reps with the first unit, while Babs has been working with the second unit.

I won't come out and say the competition at free safety is a dog and pony show, but I didn't think Babineaux would win the position from Russell. Which isn't to say it's decided, just to say the team is comfortable with Russell at free safety. The importance of Ruskell's statement was that the team isn't satisfied with Russell at free safety, it knows it must upgrade and it knows how it must upgrade: by starting a player with better range. That's a good start.

I wouldn't say Babineaux is dead in the water. He's not an elite talent or a player that's played his way into more snaps. He was tapped because the team sees a problem and a position it can upgrade. He was picked because for all his flightiness in coverage, Ruskell knows Babineaux is a better athlete than Russell. The coaching staff might be content with Russell for another season and if so, well, there's not a hotshot talent beating down the door for free safety anyway. But the personnel department sees a position it can upgrade and that means for the first time since he was signed, I believe Brian Russell's days as a Seahawk are numbered.

Tweet Comment 17 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

However many days that may be, it's too many

Seriously disappointed that one comment by the GM seems to be the only indication that they know the team needs an upgrade at free safety. Are they looking at the same player we are? If Russell didn’t have his big contract/cap number, would he even be competing for a starting position?

by lemonverbena on Aug 3, 2009 12:48 PM PDT reply actions

Russell doesn't look slow in practice.

Although I’m tired of the Grit jokes and the tuesday or wednesday(or whatever day you pick) jokes, he does know what he is doing and didn’t look bad at any point. Maybe he has an offensive player he pays to signal him the plays, so he only looks bad on Sundays, but he did look good today, when he was involved. Of course with only the shell on no one was actually hitting, which helps him.

by cashless on Aug 3, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions

Is it possible that Russell benefits from reverse-un-racism/affirmative action for white defensive backs?

Caucasian DB that everybody likes personally, with a big contract, doesn’t lose his spot unless he’s hurt?

by lemonverbena on Aug 3, 2009 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions

5 year, 13.5 mil isn't exactly a big contract

not small potatoes, but not big. It’s only slightly more then Babineaux. The reverse-un-racism thing is a bit ridiculous, other then Deon Grant, there just aren’t any good safeties on this team.

by B.B.Finnegan on Aug 3, 2009 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions

Fair point

I had remembered Russell’s deal as bigger than that. I still wonder there is some form of, perhaps unconscious, white-affirmative-action or just “guy we are comfortable with” in play. Ridiculous as that sounds, people have held onto jobs for dumber reasons.

by lemonverbena on Aug 3, 2009 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions

IIRC, Russell's contract is a lot like Wahle's

small signing bonus, most of it is salary. Which means when they do cut him, it will free up cap space. In other words, I don’t think the contract keeps him around at all, if anything, it provides incentive to ditch as soon as they find someone younger and cheaper that can do the job.

by jteckmann on Aug 3, 2009 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Certainly hope so

I think his contract shocked me at the time because I already thought he was vastly overrated

by lemonverbena on Aug 4, 2009 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions

9 picks in that fluke season made him an absolute beast in Madden, though.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Aug 4, 2009 11:50 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm all for white-ballers, especially of the defensive kind.

But, for the love of God, they have to be talented. See: Patrick Kerney

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Aug 3, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm all for defensive minded white "ballers" as well.

In hockey.

by Airborne Hawk Guy on Aug 3, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions

the world needs more black hockey players

The NHL should have a player swap program with the NFL.

by B.B.Finnegan on Aug 3, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

There are five reasons why

And Nat X gave them to us, years ago. Sadly, I cannot find this episode onlline.

by jacobstevens on Aug 3, 2009 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions

The question this raises for me (if this is all just a signal that the team needs to upgrade at safety) is...

TR, you’re JUST NOW figuring out that you have to upgrade from Brian Russell? Where you been?

More importantly, why the *&%&^! didn’t you address safety through the draft or via free agency this off-season? I mean, for the love! Everyone knows that Seattle needs more range, and that range possibly is already on the roster but playing out of position (i.e., Grant), and further that you can find a young, hard hitting safety with a mid-round pick. But you have been committed to less-than-minimal effort at the position.

I mean, my God! Springfield. You’re operating without a T-237!! God!

"Those who fear disorder more than injustice inevitably produce more of both." -- Rev. William Coffin

by dcrockett17 on Aug 3, 2009 7:46 PM PDT reply actions

In fairness to Ruskell

It’s not just now. the team sniffed around a few FA Safeties. He did draft one (granted, late round, but he had a mid-round grade) and now he’s considering in-house replacements.

I think he knows FS needs an upgrade, he just has it lower on the priority list and chose to address WR, OL, DL, and CB first. With finitie resources to spend, that’s a decision I can live with. I think it was just a case of having bigger fish to fry,

by jteckmann on Aug 3, 2009 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions