In the final three days of training camp let's review our three preseason position battles. Today we start with a battle that some may think has gotten short shrift at Field Gulls: Wide receiver. Notice I didn't say slot receiver, or #3 receiver, that's because I still think the team sees Courtney Taylor as a starting flanker and hopes to move Engram back to his natural position in the slot. Obomanu and Payne are both probably competing for the second slot spot, with Obo possessing a good lead.

The Leader:

Ben Obomanu

Ideally, the team wants to make Obomanu the new DJ Hackett. Good value per reception, but not a player you run your offense through. A competent deep man and standout in the red zone. Over his junior and senior seasons, Obomanu caught 12 touchdowns on a pair of offenses that threw for only 44. He's long and has good leaping ability, but is slight and must improve his strength, timing and/or positioning.

The Favorite:

Courtney Taylor

Taylor wants to practice, but the team isn't letting him. That's typical for an injured veteran or superstar, but when a second year receiver with five receptions for his career is protected, it's probably because the team is counting on him. Throughout training camp, the story between the lines has read Taylor is the favorite, if healthy, Taylor should win the job. For Taylor, all that matters now is staying healthy and performing in the preseason. Accomplish both, and Taylor should be Seattle's starting flanker against Buffalo.

The Dark Horse:

Logan Payne

It's little wonder Payne does so well in practice. He's dedicated, has good hands and runs tight routes. Practice is the ideal setting for Payne. The question is whether Payne's game will survive against less friendly competition. The early reports are no: In scrimmage, Payne dropped a pass in traffic. He was wide open, but also surrounded. That's the life of a zone busting slot man, lots of space, but twice as many hits. Being a bulldog and holding onto the ball is a prerequisite. On another play Payne probably fumbled, but in the quick and uncontested play of an intrasquad scrimmage, the pile was disbanded and the ball awarded to the offense. If the ball even came loose, regardless of possession, that's bad.

Payne has the most to prove and the most to lose in the preseason. He should play Bobby Engram when Engram sits, and should receive plenty of targets. As such, Payne will tally completions, amass yards, but it's the quality of those completions, the consistency of those yards that matter. Can he convert third downs? Convert 60%+ of his targets into completions? Be drop free, fumble free, mistake free? When you're natural talent is as close to league minimum as Payne's is, the requirements are stringent, but that's the job.

The Wild Card:

Jordan Kent

When you draft a player like Jordan Kent, you're awaiting a tipping point. A point when his skills have grown enough that combined with his athleticism a functional player is formed. From there, the project is left behind and that player irreversibly improves. At that point, when Kent can take the field without being a liability, Kent's athleticism will demand a roster spot. Kent might be nearing that point, but practice won't tell us.

Kent has the most to gain in the preseason. It's easy, when a player starts as unskilled as Kent, to celebrate how much he's improved. Why, last year Kent could have single handedly crippled the offense and now he's almost able to catch the ball! Jawsome! No. Improvement isn't enough. Kent must be a wide receiver, not a great, good, or even okay one, but when he takes the field he must present a viable, realizable receiving threat. Should he do that, become, minimum, a bad day Ashley Lelie or Koren Robinson, Kent's potential is too great to ignore and not only will he earn a roster spot, he'll earn regular looks in the regular season.

The Field:

Michael Bumpus is making a strong push for the practice squad. His worst baggage: his size + athleticism are borderline NFL quality. His greatest asset: he's an NFL ready reinforcement should the worst case scenario occur and the Hawks have to pull a receiver from their practice squad.

Joel Filani is tall and runs fast out of pads, plus he posted back to back 1,000 yard seasons at Texas Tech. Those three facts should help him find another team after Seattle waives him. Already waived by the Titans and Vikings, FIlani plays slow and probably is not long for the league.

Bryan Gilmore is like zoom! He's agile and battle tested. Too bad his hands were blown off. Caught 37% of the passes targeting him in 2007; Gilmore has already earned a reputation for drops in practice. Methinks Gilmore was signed just to reveal the shadowy mysteries of Alex Smith's suck-pass. How does it wobble so violently? Where does it go? How does it suck so hard and still retain flight?--briefly.

Trent Shelton is a big, possession receiver without great hands. Probably has a slightly better chance of making the team than Gilmore. Just 23, the hands could still come.

Update II:

Talkin' Hawks

This merits mentioning...

INJURY REPORT
The training staff is shutting down Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney until his strained left calf heels. The calf has bothered Kerney since the first practice Friday morning, and it acted up again at the start of the Sunday morning practice.

because fans should expect nagging injuries and a decline in play from Patrick Kerney in 2008. That doesn't mean he won't be good. That doesn't mean he can't be great. Kerney defied expectations last season. It means we shouldn't let one great season create a new baseline for expectations going forward. Kerney is 31, and even before tearing his pectoral in 2006, had recorded just 11 sacks in his previous 25 games. At that rate, that's about 7 sacks over 16 games. I'd be satisfied if Kerney can do that in 2008.

. . .

Update: The rest of the reports roll in with smidgen left to be said.

Seahawks Blog:

Courtney Taylor's hamstring is not pulled. It's not tweaked. It's not dinged or any of those other words that football coaches throw around to imprecisely diagnose an injury.

Taylor's hamstring is tight, however, which is why coach Mike Holmgren said the receiver was taking it easy toward the end of Monday's morning practice.

Meh. This will be the story with Taylor, unfortunately; he's talented and skilled but takes more than his share of bumps. And suffers. Hopefully his game won't suffer when it matters. This sounds precautionary and I expect Taylor back tomorrow.

Seahawks Insider:

Newly signed Bryan Gilmore also had a tough day, dropping a few passes, including one on a deep flag pattern.

Methinks it's his hands.

Owen Schmitt's feistiness came out on one play when he continued to block Brian Russell and the two got into a minor scuffle, slapping each other in the helmet a few times before separating. This is what Schmitt is going to make his name doing, antagonistic toughness. He also caught a swing pass and lumbered through the secondary, David Hawthorne bouncing off him when they made contact.

This stinks of perfunctory Owen Schmitt coverage. Well, you asked for it. He got into a fight with Brian Russell and "lumbered" into z-string linebacker David Hawthorne. We all want Schmitt to be great because he's a Hawk and because he does stupid thing like thrash his head with his helmet, but let's let Schmitt be great before we call for reports of his greatness.

. . .

To be updated as reports roll in.

Dave Bolling is first in with a look at one-on-one blocking drills.

In the past, only Mack Strong had much luck. The drill this year was a real eye-opener. Leonard Weaver stonewalled Lofa Tatupu, and then absolutely flat-backed Leroy Hill. I know, I know ... you don't believe it. Brothers and sisters, I saw it with my own eyes.

Everybody knows Weaver has some rushing and receiving talents, but the challenge for Weaver was to block. And if he didn't learn how, he wasn't going to get much time on the field. It's obvious he's taken this challenge head on. Julius Jones then did a great job against Julian Peterson.

Unfortunately, pass blocking wasn't really Weaver's weakness and he displayed significant prowess last season. Weaver's weakness is run blocking, specifically squaring up and exploding into a block while on the move. So, while it's good to see Weaver kicking ass pass blocking, that's not the stride he needs to take.

The guy who really showed up was back T.J. Duckett, who may have had his best practice as a Seahawk. He looked very strong up the middle...

As I've said, as long as Duckett does enough in training camp and in the preseason to be trusted with carries, he'll produce. After all the brouhaha about Justin Forsett looking better than Duckett in mini-camps, it's encouraging to see someone recognize that a quick, scatback out of pads is probably going to outperform a bruising interior rusher in non-contact drills, but it doesn't mean Duckett is slow or destined to be cut.

Logan Payne continues to be a real training camp star.

Payne is undoubtedly an excellent practicer, but the fawning over his play is betrayed by some simple facts. Whenever questioned about Seattle's four young wide receivers and who will emerge, the answer is almost always Courtney Taylor. Then Ben Obomanu. Then mention of Jordan Kent's athleticism/pedigree/growth as a wide receiver. Then praise about Payne. Not Payne will produce, just praise.

Payne didn't produce last preseason. If we look at all passes targeting Payne, 8, and then apply "The Hidden Game of Football" adjusted yards per attempt  (pass yards + 10*(pass TD) - 45*(interceptions thrown))/(passing attempts) formula, Payne tallied -1.25 yards per target. Payne wasn't targeted in Seattle's final two preseason games.

Despite being highly polished, Payne spent all of 2007 on the practice squad. Before the playoffs, Seattle signed him off the practice squad, but despite Payne suffering no injuries and the Seahawks suffering many, was never targeted or even activated.

Payne is your classic hard working, humble, white guy overachiever that gets mad pub around practice time but struggles to make the club. I wish him all the luck in the world, hope he proves me wrong-wrong, but for those expecting Payne to explode on the NFL this season, you're probably deluding yourselves.