Aaron Curry and Expectations, Part II

I was sitting in a bar watching it on TV, and I remember being ecstatic that Curry had fallen to us. Everyone thought he was the can’t-miss pick, and I thought we’d finally get an impact player out of the first round.

By contrast, I was furious about the Carpenter pick, but he seems to be progressing at least. It’s funny how expectations really can affect how you view a player’s performance.

I thought it was a ridiculous pick, but one completely expected. Afterwords I held out hope that he’d become the next Derrick Brooks, which was a long shot.

Looking back at the combine results it’s easy to see why the supposed “combine stud” and amazing physical specimen fails at the NFL: he’s the wrong kind of athlete.

People love 40 times (next to interviews) so it starts there:

Curry 4.56 (1)
Matthews 4.67 (4)
Cushing 4.74 (7)
Laurinaitis 4.88 (doesnt make top 15)

Curry also destroys it in the vertical jump and broad jump by a good margin

But in the 3 cone drill:

Cushing 6.84 (1)
Matthews 6.9 (2)
Laurinaitis 6.93 (3)
Curry 7.15 (10)

And 20 yard shuttle:

Matthews 4.18 (2)
Cushing 4.22 (4)
Laurinaitis 4.24 (6)
Curry 4.51 (14)

It’s very simple. Curry lacks the ability to change direction quickly. It has nothing to do with his mental abilities. If he had to chase a running back 40 yards, he could get to him faster then most other linebackers, but as soon as the running back changed his direction, Curry would go flying off course. So you see a lot of over-pursuit which you mistake for mental errors and him looking slow to react. Well, I guess he is slow to react, in that his body just doesn’t turn that quickly compared to other players.

It’s not Curry’s fault for being selected at 4, but it is the Seahawks fault for not evaluating him correctly.

Really? Who cares about the Pro Bowl? Just get off the man’s back!

 I comprehend that the 4th overall pick is supposed to develop into a “Star/Stud” type player a la Ray Lewis (I’m not comparing Curry to Lewis positionally [obviously] as I realize that they do not play the same position). I’m simply going by their respective value(s) to their team’s defense and their importance to the team overall. No one has stated that Curry is a Gholston. As far as I’ve read, Curry doesn’t have an attitude problem. It seems that Curry has a desire to learn and to do what he can to help the Seahawks win. He’s supposedly a hard-working and stand-up guy who you can confidently argue, has been overpaid based on how he has produced for us and/or what he has accomplished for us to this point. In all fairness to Curry, his first year was with Mora’s defense where he was switched to a different position/role from that which he played at Wake Forest. Last year was his first year with Carroll and he was again assigned a different role/ set of responsibilities. Neither of the 2009 or 2010 Seahawk defenses were outstanding, but from what I observed in the games I watched last year, Curry played a significant role in assisting Red Braynt and the scheme in helping the Seahawks defense get to their #2 ranking in stopping the run, (until Bryant went down anyway).

 If the Caroll mantra is in fact “Compete” Curry hasn’t had anyone competing with him for his starting position. Maybe he needs that kind of motivation. Who knows? But give the kid the benefit of the doubt for at least one more year. Maybe this is the year it clicks for him. The 12th man can lament all it wants about Curry being a bust or a goat. I submit that it’s still too early to tell and that everyone should be just a little more patient. I just know that I’m going to despise all the bandwagon jumpers who profess Curry’s greatness if and when he has an amazing year. I bought a Curry jersey this off-season when I visited Qwest (4 days prior to its being renamed C-LINK) I really hope he succeeds this season and shuts up his naysayers but I’m okay with him simply performing his tasks/role effectively and being a cog in the defense as opposed to becoming the star of it. I’d rather Curry step-up in the clutch with the occasional big play and have him go unnoticed the rest of the time because he’s steady. I understand the sentiment of those of you who are sick of watching replay after replay where he’s blown his coverage and/or missed a tackle by failing to have wrapped up his assigned man. However, hoepfully, it’s a thing of the past, but even if he struggles on occasion again, he’s only been with Seattle 2 seasons. This is year 3. Still not a long time for a young player who’s still learning the position and nuances at the pro level compared to college

I think Davis Hsu is very likely correct in saying that Curry will never (in his NFL career) live up to the expectations associated with the 4th overall pick of the draft, but let’s face it, $*it, happens. Everyone had Curry ranked as being the next Dick Butkus or someone the like. However, it doesn’t mean that he can’t be an important cog in the Seahawks defense this season. Let’s face it, based on how the first team offense is performing, if there’s any hope of a return to the playoffs this year we’re going to need the defense to majorly step-up and return to the effective run-stopping defense that it was during the first half of last season.

If Curry effectively does what he’s assigned to do (along with everyone else), then (hopefully) we only have one side of the ball to worry about. Which will be a nice change from the numerous blowouts that we had to endure last season.

I think Curry will step up and improve this season, he just won’t be the stud NFL linebacker that he was projected to be 4 years ago. So what?

And it starts with a simple question; What would we be saying about him had he been nabbed in the 3rd, or even 2nd round? Would we be praising his ability to step in and contribute almost immediately, rarely sticking out like a sore thumb due to poor play, yet never quite escalating to the upper echelon of linebacking play?

I like to look at other players drafted a few years ahead of Curry in similar situations and compare how they have developed. With the recent contract extensions to 5th year Pittsburgh linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley, I’ve been thinking about the two quite a bit, specifically Timmons. A workout warrior and veritable athletic freak, Timmons produced at an above average level, but nothing extraordinary his first few seasons. And while Pittsburgh asks its linebackers to play a much different role then their Seattle counterparts, Woodley predominately a pass rusher and Timmons lining up in the middle, I feel we can gain some perspective looking at these players.

In year one Timmons wasn’t asked to do a ton (Pittsburgh tends to bring their players along slowly, both because they can due to talent and demanding spotless execution) and slowly crept up in tackles till he was hovering around 65 a year his first 3 seasons. And honestly, that’s right around where Curry has been, albeit from the SAM position.

What I’m getting at is people need to step away from the fact he was a 4th overall pick. He’s no longer being paid like one, and as far as I see it, once a player is drafted and is practicing with the team, he is a part of a draft class and must battle for playing time just like every other player. If you separate yourself from expectations and look at Aaron Curry as nothing more than a linebacker on the Seahawks roster, you can gain a better idea of what he is capable of on the football field.

He’s good. He’ll continue to be good. If that’s with the Seahawks for more than 2 years, I’ll be very surprised however.

Can you write more…much more for this blog?

That said I disagree with the knee-jerk ‘oh God, it’s Curry’s last year in Seattle talk. I think he’ll most certainly play here through 2012 AT LEAST. He’s still a young player from a small(er) school that needs time to grow into his off-the-charts physical talents. I look at guys like Derrick Johnson (LB, KC) and even A.J. Hawk (LB, GB) who took a few years and faced the same polarizing discussion about their futures with their respective teams.

When teams around the league are throwing 30+ million at guys like Clint Session and Thomas ‘double torn ACL’ Davis, Curry’s worth is, in my estimation, being devalued big-time.

Yes, he’s a bonehead sometimes. Yes, he’s not a sack-artist. He can punish TEs and ball-carriers and has the tools to cover as among the best in the league with some coaching and experience.

I’m not ready to bail on him – not even close. I hope I can at least wear out his jersey I bought just last year before he wears out his welcome here.

Curry now has one year to prove that he belongs here. I’m sure we will see some improvement from him this year. If not maybe we pick up a good FA LB next year.