Marcus Trufant's Season Is Over; Seahawks Sign Jason Shirley, Stephen Franklin
by Danny Kelly on Oct 17, 2011 6:01 PM PDT
in Seahawks News & Rumors
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PrintSeattle cornerback Marcus Trufant has been placed on the Injured Reserve, ending his season. Trufant's back injury was described last week as a 'bruised sacrum,' but now Pete Carroll has acknowleged that it was indeed related to the back issues Trufant had in 2009 that limited him to 10 games. Apparently it's serious enough that the Seahawks aren't willing to ride out his recovery or hope for a quick return.
This means that Walter Thurmond will start in his place and Richard Sherman will probably see more action. Roy Lewis, now practicing after sitting on the PUP list the first six weeks of the season, figures to see some action as a nickelback. The Hawks have been running a lot of nickel so it will be very interesting to see how the playing time splits work out.
Taking Trufant's spot on the roster is DT Jason Shirley, a former fifth round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Fresno State back in 2008. Shirley is 6'5, 345, and was moved to offensive guard in training camp of '09 (you may have seen this on Hard Knocks (I think)). He's been on the Bengals practice squad since being waived that year and was released from that on Sept 3rd. Bengals writer Joe Goodberry noted:
"Shirley is powerful & thick. (He's) hard to move as DT & road grading as OG. No feet whatsoever. Raw as hell at both spots. Raw!"
Rob Rang did a really, really thorough scouting report on him back in 2008 that you can find here. Also, Scott Enyeart pointed out that Pete Carroll recruited Shirley out of Fontana HS and coached against him when he was at Fresno St. Shirley is also the older brother of current UW Husky Josh Shirley.
From what I can tell the Seahawks plan to use Shirley on the defensive side and he immediately becomes the biggest man on an already huge line. It will be interesting to see if he sees the field this week.
Finally, the Hawks also signed another former Bengal, rookie LB Stephen Franklin. Franklin, 5'11, 245 was an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois that signed with the Bengals earlier this season. He was waived back on August 27th but apparently has something that the Seahawks like.
The Hawks also tried out seven other linebackers, per Brian McIntyre, including Ricky Elmore and Elijah Joseph, both formerly with the Packers.
Other Notes:
Per John Boyle: "Seahawks CB Roy Lewis, who is eligible to come off the PUP list this week, said he can be ready to play Sunday if needed: "Absolutely, that's the whole mindset. . . to be ready to contribute if need be.""
Also per Boyle: "Pete Carroll said Tarvaris Jackson is ahead of schedule and that the QB "has a chance" to play Sunday." John also noted that Pete said TE Zach Miller is looking to practice on Wednesday, so that's huge.
Per Liz Mathews: "Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is now able to throw the ball around and run and is day to day for now per Carroll after practice."
Also per Mathews: "CB Roy Lewis, TE Cameron Morrah, WR Deon Butler and LG Robert Gallery are all expected to practice Wednesday."
Here's Pete Carroll's Monday Presser, give it a listen for yourself.
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Season over - Honestly his Seahawks career is over
He’s not looked the same since his contract year and now with recurring injuries it’s time to let him go.
Sad but it’s time to see what WTIII can do.
I respect your opinion even though it's wrong.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Seahawks brings Tru into next year's camp (at a cheap price)
You can never be too sure about young corners, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a lack of demand for Trufant’s services next offseason.
It'll be a different dynamic next year.
Tru will have time to get worked out by several teams, so if he does decide to come back to Seattle it won’t be because nobody else wanted to make a quick decision on him. OTOH Carroll will have another year to work out guys like LenDale White or whoever it is shows up on his radar.
"It's okay to have an open mind, just not so open that your brains fall out." - Carl Sagan (well, a lot of guys)
by Johnny Slick on Oct 18, 2011 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions
We'll sign him for league minimum,
and trade him to the Bengals for a 7th rounder the last week in camp.
70% of space is covered by dark matter, the rest by ET.
wow Shirley is a biggin
I’m excited for this guy, I know hes raw, but he’s definitetly someone im excited for, kind of like Mcdonald.
i wish he had Mcdonald's motor
Shirley has been pegged for being lazy
....FLASHBACK!
So was BMW! Muaha, he’s in the right place then.
Heresy grows from idleness.
by Corax --Nevermore-- on Oct 17, 2011 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Jason Shirley embiggens the largest D-line.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 7:56 AM PDT up reply actions
Goodby Marcus
So I am guessing that Marcus is done as a Seahawk if not as an NFL player. He will be missed but you cannot mess with necks and backs as a cornerback.
Nothing bad to say about this guy.
He’s been a solid CB (when on the field) but injuries and age have just done him in.
Only Hill left from the best Hawks team ever?
Thanks Marcus!!
by Hawk088 on Oct 17, 2011 6:16 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Injury settlement coming soon I guess.
Trufant, you were a warrior. Thanks man. Now coach up your brother and let’s get him in teal and blue.
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."
by shams on Oct 17, 2011 6:21 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I'm not going to close the book on Tru's career just yet, here or elsewhere.
Just have to see how he rehabs. And when he’s a FA next year, Seattle’s just as likely a landing spot for him as anywhere else. +30 and coming off an injury, I can’t imagine he’ll be drawing big bucks. Here, he’s a respected D captain playing in his backyard with a coaching staff that knows him – and even if Thurmond, Sherman, etc step-up, he could possibly fit as a nickel.
"I'm tired of chasing after my dreams. I'll just find out where they're going, and catch up later." - Hedberg
Yeah, but I don't want him to go like Hass
with all that negativity towards the end of last season (it was good for the playoffs but remember the charlie chants?). With the amount of tackles the DBs make in our defense, and the type of receivers that are in our division now (Brandon Lloyd for Stl, now)…I don’t think he can come back. But he was the best CB we’ve had since Shawn Springs.
Heresy grows from idleness.
by Corax --Nevermore-- on Oct 17, 2011 6:40 PM PDT up reply actions
I doubt that will happen with Trufant
Hass and Trufant are two different scenerios
Oh, totally didn't see Danny's fanshot.
Awesome. Glad someone’s picking up the slack around here.
by SgtSasquatch on Oct 17, 2011 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Seriously.
Getting tired of seeing McCoy.
"You SUCK, Keary Colbert! You should be selling insurance. INSURANCE, Keary!
-Random drunk Hawks fan in Miami after watching Keary Colbert drop another wide-open pass.
It's Great To Be a Florida Gator!
by Wayward Llama on Oct 17, 2011 7:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Really? I mean, Morrah is better, but really?
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 7:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Really.
McCoy’s hands have need of glue and/or duct tape.
"You SUCK, Keary Colbert! You should be selling insurance. INSURANCE, Keary!
-Random drunk Hawks fan in Miami after watching Keary Colbert drop another wide-open pass.
It's Great To Be a Florida Gator!
by Wayward Llama on Oct 18, 2011 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Didn't WT3 start against the Giants?
I got the feeling that, even if Trufant was healthy, the Seahawks were probably going to keep him on the bench, or at least limit his snaps.
Yep, and he performed well.
I’m thrilled he’s going to be getting the reps from here on out honestly.
Me too.
I think he has elite potential!
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."
Maybe
I think he mas more potential to just be Tru-solid for an entire career. That’s just me, though.
Heresy grows from idleness.
by Corax --Nevermore-- on Oct 17, 2011 8:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Although I will admit that flat-top is the best in the NFL hands down.
Heresy grows from idleness.
by Corax --Nevermore-- on Oct 17, 2011 8:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Tru was elite for some time though.
I’ll take Tru-solid!
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."
Too bad for Tru.
He’s looked better this year, too.
"You SUCK, Keary Colbert! You should be selling insurance. INSURANCE, Keary!
-Random drunk Hawks fan in Miami after watching Keary Colbert drop another wide-open pass.
It's Great To Be a Florida Gator!
I am pretty surprised TJ is throwing and hasn't been ruled out
although honestly I hope they give him a couple weeks…
Throwing a football and throwing for an NFL game are two different things
He might have range of motion back, but that doesn’t mean he has strength yet.
they took turns pissing into the bitch's ocular cavities.
This way to the cafeteria!
I wonder how much the up coming Bengals
Game had to do with the Shirley and Franklin signings. A little advance scouting double agent action?
I wouldn’t put it past JS. Creative use of the ole 53 roster churn.
Shirley seems like a good get though. Essentially useless in other defenses, he has a home here behind Red and perhaps Me!Bane.
Plus, he’s got to be the toughest dude in the locker room.
by vertigoman on Oct 17, 2011 7:52 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
With the name Shirley
He’s got to be the toughest SOB to have lasted this long.
by SpellStitchedHawk on Oct 17, 2011 8:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Gale Sayers, Dick Butkis, Harry Colon (it's true)
Demarcus Faggins, Randall Gay…
But the worst of the worst (still in college though and changed his name) is in a D-II school, Eastern Illinois… Lucious Pusey LB. His name is Lucious Seymour now.
The Department of Redundancy Department is hiring, maybe I should apply myself.
Good Lord...
Lucious Pusey? Guy must have had one hell of a childhood. Wonder what the hell his parents were smoking when they thought of that.
I know what dad was thinkin' about ha
The Department of Redundancy Department is hiring, maybe I should apply myself.
by SGT Lenny on Oct 17, 2011 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Good ole Eastern Illinois
I really, really hope his nickname is “Sweet Lou”
by Trenchtown on Oct 17, 2011 9:23 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bummed about Tru
I thought he was playing fairly well this year. Not exactly a return to pro bowl form, but pretty solid and while I’m excited to see WT3 get more time, I’m worried about the depth and experience of this group.
Getting Lewis back helps a little, I guess. Rashean Mathis is reportedly on the trading block, fits the profile and could be cheap- still might not be worth it.
Do not want.
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
You know what's funny (sort of off-topic)?
Look at the Fan confidence poll on the left.
Heresy grows from idleness.
by Corax --Nevermore-- on Oct 17, 2011 9:03 PM PDT reply actions
Why God? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?
Learn JiuJitsu.
"Come on you sons of bitches, you wanna live forever!?" -- Dan Daly
by RolloTomasi on Oct 17, 2011 9:32 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
The agony portrayed in its body is simply disheartening for any seahwawk fan
I weep for this cat
Heresy grows from idleness.
by Corax --Nevermore-- on Oct 17, 2011 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Is that Seacat?
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
I have this image on my bulletin board, with the in-image captions - "Fuck you - I am CAT!"
About the 2011 Seahawks: "And if I laugh at any mortal thing, tis that I may not weep." Byron
Looking at the overall health picture here,
8 steps forward, 1 step back.
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
It's really sad,
how amorphous the Seahawks really are. There’s a shared history there, but as the years go by, what else? All the people and even the stadiums and practice fields change. What I’m getting at is, Trufant helped define the Seahawks for so many years and now he’s basically gone. I miss him. I miss Will Herring and Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones and D.D. Lewis and Patrick Kerney and Rocky Bernard. I’m too sentimental.
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
It was the best era in Seahawk football
it’s alright. We’ll fall in love with the next batch of ET, Kung, Baldwin, Chance, WT3 just as hard once they start putting it together. And it won’t be ‘finesse’.
by Stay Off the Flowers on Oct 18, 2011 7:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Amen to the no "finesse"
I hate that word now. Also the term “character guys”. :)
But if we start sucking it up then they'll be gone just as we start to REALLY love them.
Stokley, Redding, and Herring were guys who I had just warmed up to but then vamoosed.
Stability would be awesome. Being a fan of the Packers or Steelers would be awesome.
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
Damn shame he's done for the year, was looking good, but it's time we moved on...
I say it’s time to invest another first round pick into a cornerback. I have no idea who’s coming up this year at the spot, but I doubt we have a shot at Luck or Barkley (not that I want Barkley, I’m not sold on him yet). Solidify the secondary or draft a legit pass rusher, and take Nick Foles out of U of A in round 2. I’ve lived in Tucson, and now go to ASU, and the guy is legit. He makes a terrible U of A team competitive.
We'll be able to pick up Foles as an UDFA
your assessment is very different from most scouts.
by Stay Off the Flowers on Oct 18, 2011 7:27 AM PDT up reply actions
He's the second best starting QB from the Arizona schools.
70% of space is covered by dark matter, the rest by ET.
why would you want to spend a first rounder on DB when PC and JS can
find so many diamonds in the rough? Nmandi on the Eagles D sorta shows how it doesn’t make sense to use a shut down corner in a zone secondary. A shutdown here would face the same problems if used in our zone
Smashmouth is the new sexy!
reply fail to Brian Edwards
Smashmouth is the new sexy!
This team has four big upgrade needs left
if you don’t count RB which is OKish, and all 4 are really top-of-the-draft positions. QB, DE, DT & CB. Sure they’ll find some pretty good contributors at a couple of those positions, free agency, later rounds or undrafted FA. And the team could win pretty well with upgrades to some but not others, arguably.
But that 1st rounder definitely has some competition. For all we need a QB, if either current QB played as well as Jackson has for the past two games at least half the time, and we upgrade pass coverage and pass rush while the rest of the young team matures, that could be a very good football team. That 1st has some competition.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 8:04 AM PDT up reply actions
I suppose I ought to say we also need an upgrade at LG which can be a first rounder
but for our case should not need to be.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 8:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I think DT looks bad right now
because we aren’t getting pass rush on 1st and 2nd downs. Pressure kinda takes two guys doing a good job. Clemons doesn’t often beat his man, and when he doesn’t but Bryant or Mebane break through, it doesn’t matter ’cuz the QB just jogs away.
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
Mos def. We need a 3-tech with pass rush skills.
Schneider and Carroll and Bradley can’t not know this. But I’ll be damned if I know why they don’t seem to think it’s an imperative.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Two Things
1) We love Bengals D-Linemen like the Eagles love Seahawks FB
2) Deon Butler is ready to play? Really? His injury appeared worse than Leon’s and Leon has more muscle and strength to recover easier.
Bonus) If we activate Butler, which WR gets cut because we don’t need to carry 7 WR’s out of a 53 man roster? Or do we try to get something in a trade for Golden Tate?
I would rather keep Durham over Tate.
Not me.
If either of them have shown anything, it’s Tate’s blocking abilities, matched with his willingness. Durham brings almost nothing to the table that the others in the corps don’t. He’s got more speed to go with his size than Williams or Rice, but Tate brings ball-carrying moves that none of the others have, which is very valuable.
I really think Butler is more expendable than anyone else. Like him and want him to develop. More top end speed than others, but really his true football-playing ceiling is about what Obomanu has already accomplished, and I don’t think he’ll even quite reach that.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions
Really? I think that may be true if he's really slowed down by the injury...
…but otherwise he’s a potential speed burner type. No offense to Obo, whom we all love, but he potentially fits a role the team right now is somewhat filling with Baldwin, although IMO Baldwin is going to be more of a good route-running, solid-hands guy with deceptive speed than a flat-out burner like Butler could still be.
"It's okay to have an open mind, just not so open that your brains fall out." - Carl Sagan (well, a lot of guys)
by Johnny Slick on Oct 18, 2011 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I pretty much agree with all that.
But I think with Butler, though he has the most overall speed out of the corps, I think it doesn’t factor much because he’s not good enough in the other WR attributes to be an actual deep threat. That can change. But for now, he’s not good enough with routes, cutting or hands to be an underneath threat, enough to then be a deep threat.
I don’t mean to say that being a deep threat is always contingent on being an underneath threat, but since Butler’s not been a consistent producer overall, what I’ve seen him do well, just hasn’t translated, and in the meantime even on skinny posts I haven’t quite seen Butler’s 40 speed translate to field speed.
Baldwin seems to be a better producer than Obomanu, I definitely agree. I would strongly disagree with the notion that that makes Obomanu redundant, not even on the Saints would he be redundant to the extent that he’s the odd man out. But that being said, what Carroll & Schneider want, I don’t fully know. Since they have their 2 towers I’d think they want Obo, Baldwin & Tate but they might want a San Diego-type all-stowaway head-bumper WR corps.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions
Durham has youth
and you can never have too many 6’4" WRs. You line up 3 of those and you’re going to get a size mismatch somewhere in the defensive backfield.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 18, 2011 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions
But, you line up 3 of those
and you’re adding about a full second per snap for when you can expect anyone to be reasonably open.
It’s not bad to have a 3rd big guy but we don’t want our passing game to be a one-trick pony.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 9:53 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don't think that size implies longer-developing routes
For example, bigger, slower TEs are often safety nets for QBs under pressure. If we’re depending on a guy like Butler (who hasn’t shown a lot of utility in the slot) for longer routes, I don’t think that’s any better than a Durham-Rice-BMW formation.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 18, 2011 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree
I think it could be argued that bigger receivers can often get position on DBs more quickly than smaller, quicker receivers can create separation. Now, whether or not TJack or CW will throw to them…? That being said, I love Rice and Williams on the outside and Baldwin in the slot.
It definitely does.
Not exclusively, of course, and there are some things you can do to mitigate it (although that could substantially change the offense’s design). It’s partly because the skillset offered by smurfs or giants means a smaller guy who gets the ball in his hands quickly underneath have more danger to do YAC damage by making guys miss, while bigger guys have less because they don’t have the agility relative to the back seven to shake the dogs off.
A lot of what we think about as outlets, safety nets and checkdowns are roles & routes that are available after the pocket has proven to hold for at least three seconds. TE seam routes tend to not be open immediately; they run right into where the LBs are dropping back. They’re designed to find the soft spot between the LB & safety, especially in zone, or to counter blitzing tendencies. They’re a good outlet if the first options are covered but they don’t tend to be an outlet for immediate pressure.
TEs do have quick curls and drags that can open up very quickly. Wideouts regardless of size have hitches, screens, and of course slants. Slants are the poster-child for designed quick open routes, of course, along with quick out routes, and in both cases the key to getting open is the break. So yeah you can design hot routes and quick-openness into plays, but even still they tend to work better with moves guys who can get into the breaks quickly, which tend to be guys who can shift their momentum quickly. Also known as smaller guys.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
But Butler, that's one reason why I think he's the seventh guy of the corps
which doesn’t take the still-good TE receiving corps or good RB receivers into account. He’s fast but doesn’t have the get-open skills that Baldwin & Obomanu have shown.
So my assertion that Tat’e RB moves make him valuable in a utilitarian role that supplements the corps, while Durham doesn’t provide anything unique, is not an endorsement of needing a vertical speed guy for deep threats; Baldwin, Obomanu & the two towers provide basic deep threat by way of their ability to be open downfield, one way or another. They’re not premier deep threats but that’s OK.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2011 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
I think you sell Durham short because he is a rookie.
as of today we have not seen him provide anything unique to the receiving corps. He was not drafted to be a day 1 contributor, but a player to develop for the long term. He is 6’4" and 220 lbs with 4.46 speed, who has good+ hands, runs decent routes, is a very solid open field blocker, and has longterm serious upside…
If anyone is not in the team’s long term plans, I would think it is BMW or Butler. For all his talk of offseason conditioning, BMW looks less athletic this year than last, and is only getting older.
Smashmouth is the new sexy!
Sure he's got good upside.
I’m not passing judgment on his career prospects. I just wouldn’t keep him over Tate and I think there’s a lot of value in supplementing members of a receiving corps with different skills, and a lot of potential detriment in ignoring some of the unique skills. I think Tate has plenty of upside as well. I’m not suggesting Durham be cut or that he’s got no future. The team is fairly-well stacked at receiver and that’s a good problem to have. Butler just doesn’t fit in, to me. If Durham shows promise in his development and we’d have to make another decision on top of that, I’d also look at Williams’ near future compared to Durham’s longer future. Not yet to the point of making that call, Durham has to prove more regardless of upside, but it’s worth a conversation.
Head of catering.
by jacobstevens on Oct 19, 2011 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions
He also has the Jurevicious factor.
As for the Seahawks, they shall have stars at elbow and foot...Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion.
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