• Baby step Baraka Atkins, baby steps. Crucial baby steps. Here's how the preseason allows a blown play to be exciting: Second Minnesota drive of the second quarter, sixth play, 1^st and 10 on the Seattle 24. Atkins explodes off the snap! Badly overpursuing and thereby vacating right containment! Maurice Hicks rides the seam for an easy eight! Um...well the movement off the snap is promising. It's not surprising that Atkins growth at anticipating snap counts comes with a corresponding hitch. In the regular season, this would be a straight up blown assignment, but in the preseason the growth as a pass rusher - even against a run - easily trumps the assignment lapse.
• In that vein: Jordan Kent had a track star moment. On the third play of Seattle's first drive of the second quarter, 3^rd and 7 on the Seattle 23, Kent turned a good route and great separation into an incompletion. Running free, Kent turned his shoulder back towards Wallace very early, breaking stride and allowing the pass to drop ineffectually past his outstretched hands. Competent receivers know to trust their quarterback and run to the spot, having the experience and knowledge to find the ball late in the route and convert the reception. Kent, still very raw, doesn't.
• Next non-special teams play. 1^st and 10, Minnesota on their own 34; 2 WR, 2 TE, Rb. Seattle in a base 4-3. At the snap, the Vikings left tackle passes Lawrence Jackson off, pull blocking out and into the second level. This is why I really like Jackson. Jackson, immediately understanding the tackle pass means run and explodes into pulling guard Mike Jones. Jackson is excellent at engaging a blocker without allowing him into his chest and thereby losing control. Instead, Jackson rides Jones like a sled to Maurice Hicks, tackling Hicks for a gain of one. Awareness, recognition, skills matched with good athleticism and great potential.
• And yes, on the next play Jackson sheds a blocker, cuts across the field, through trash, outpaces Hicks and tackles him midstride 29 yards downfield.
• David Hawthorne knifed through traffic to tackle Hicks for a loss of two. Speed in traffic defines a run stopping linebacker and Hawthorne has it in spades.
• Not a great quarter for Josh Wilson. He looked very much the bad employee. First, on the fifth play of Minnesota's second drive, taking his head out of the game after noticing Howard Green's penalty and subsequently blowing coverage. And later, on the sixth play of Minnesota's third drive, whiffing on a press against Aundrae Allison, using his speed to recover, but then getting turned around in coverage. Physically close to Allison, but nowhere near covering him. Embarrassingly careless play for a second year man.
• On his lone reception of the half, Carlson bounced off the first tackler, rolling for an additional three. Eight yards on 1 and 10 is boffo; five, a failed play.
• I liked what I saw from Julius Jones. His long rush, 12 yards, ran from an audibled into split backs (out of an "I"). It's always good to see success out of SBs. Jones made a couple quick cuts and displayed the kind of easy speed he needs to be effective. Lost man David Kirtman effectively sealed off the inside. First, putting the finishing touches on Erin Henderson, escorting the rook to the turf, and then moving out to lock up Charles Gordon.
• Jones' failed first down conversion was, well, unlikely to succeed. Seattle didn't do much wrong from an execution standpoint, getting good push, a very nice lead block by Kirtman, with only the two tight ends, Jeb Putzier and John Carlson, falling off their blocks and allowing each of their men to contribute to the tackle. No, it was mostly just conservative play calling and a numbers mismatch. To turn a cliché on its head, shouldn't we expect a defense to be able to protect one yard ? Minnesota stacked nine in the box and swarmed the center, having the fullback to guide and Jones five yard run up to arrive. It won't happen, but I'd love to see Mike Holmgren minimize all the telegraphed, circa 1932, one yard and a cloud of dust short yardage plays he so favors.
• I'm surprised to see Jamar Adams so tenacious in the box, but there he was ripping Naufahu Tahi from behind and forcing a turnover on 4^th and 1.
• Seventh play, final drive of the half, Minnesota ball, 1^st and 10 on Seattle's 12; Vikings employ a 3 WR, TE, Rb formation. Seattle's in a base 4-3. Generic play, Hicks rush right end, but interesting because I note Green shows good separation ability, coming off a block and making a good move to the ball carrier.
• Next play, now 2^nd and 8. Identical formations from both units. Pass play. Seattle runs an unorthodox stunt, looks like this:
  Green again separates from his blocker and again shows good closing ability to the ball carrier. This time it's a sack. Same skill, different result, but I wouldn't rate the flashier play as a better effort.
• Kevin Hobbs blew coverage on the next play - playing too soft and misreading the distance for a first down. Should Martin Nance have converted an easy reception and thus earned the first down, that would be more widely noted, but Nance's mistake let Hobbs off the hook.

We'll be talking tonight's preseason game. Specifically, 2nd team and mop up players that have a chance to make noise.

# (724) 444-7444

ID: 23576

Update: I somehow managed to mentally flip the abilities of Ferguson with the abilities of Wade. So everything I say about Wade better describes Ferguson and visa versa.

There isn't much to say about Kevin Hobbs and what there is isn't complimentary. I've been led to believe Hobbs has made a quantum leap over the offseason, so instead of dragging his name in the mud, I'll simply say, prove it in the preseason.

The Winner:

Josh Wilson

Defenses employ a nickel personnel grouping on about a quarter of all plays. Those plays are often high leverage, third down plays. In 2007, Seattle deployed "Big Play" Jordan Babineaux as its primary nickelback. In 2007, Big Play had a projected quality as all the big plays came by the man Babs was "covering". If one play exemplified Babineaux's season, it was the pick 6 against Washington. With Seattle up 14 and only 44 seconds left on the clock, Babs cashed in on a season's worth of staring into the backfield, intercepting an errant Todd Collins pass and returned it for a score. A season's worth of clueless nickelback play, persistent gazing into the pocket while his assignment ran untouched, culminating in a worthless but flashy pick 6 to chainsaw an already moldering horse.

I digress.

This season, Seattle hopes to substitute Big Play with a competent corner. Ideally, 2007 second round pick Josh Wilson. I don't buy into human objectivity so I'm going out and say it, I like Josh Wilson and have wanted him to succeed since he was drafted. Kid's a little Bob Sanders and a little Darrell Green and should he hone his pickoff ability has terrifying return ability out of the nickel.

At Maryland, Wilson played as the Terp's "boundary" cornerback. That's not a term you hear much in the pros, but all it means is the corner who covers the short side of the field. In college, with their funky wide hashmarks, that can be a significant difference in area. The boundary is asked to contribute more against the run, blitzes more and sees more one-on-one coverage. It's considered the more demanding position (opposed to the "field" corner) in a college system but does not necessarily produce the best pro talent.

Wilson is a spirited tackler. He plays big, despite his size. He has excellent quickness and should grow into an excellent zone corner. Wilson is already a good man cover corner, true to Tim Ruskell's tastes, and should improve his ball skills in a less demanding position with a good secondary around him.

His father Tim Wilson was Earl Campbell's lead blocker. That's a bit like being George Foreman's boxing glove. Tim died in 1996 when Josh was just 11. His senior season, Josh Wilson was selected as All-ACC and won the James Tatum Award for top student athlete. He's chippy but high character and plays with a lot of pride. Wilson has the makings of an excellent nickelback, should he survive his own ferocity.

Though an extended morning practice, the three Big Blogs are scarce on details. I'm just happy that starting Saturday I can begin again with first hand scouting, because this game of telephone has left me with its share of purple monkey dishwashers.

Seahawks Insider

Roster-wise, the Seahawks placed Wesly Mallard on injured reserve with a knee injury and signed former UW cornerback Derrick Johnson -- who promptly injured himself and was getting his ankle iced on a cart.

Somewhere within this is a Zen kōan. Like, if two players are injured, but both suck, is it news?

There was a lot more team stuff today and less individual drills. On one passing drills, Ben Obomanu completely shook Kevin Hobbs and made a nice catch given that he was wide open. Hobbs redeemed himself later when he nearly picked off a pass intended for Courtney Taylor. He dropped it, but if he got it he would have gone the distance, to quote Field of Dreams.

It would be nice to know who threw those passes, minimum, to make any sense of this. Other important factors: The type of route, the type of coverage, the time in the pocket and whether he was under pressure. Anyway, I'm not sure if Obo has turned a corner or if his play is just being watched for after a strong showing on Saturday. Friday anyone?

Next!

Seahawks Blog

Fullback Owen Schmitt laid a pretty stiff block on D.D. Lewis, blocking to open a hole for Justin Forsett.

Insider has Schmitt whiffing on a pass block. Seahawks Blog mentions a good run block. I would guess that's a decent summary of where Schmitt stands. A better run blocker than pass blocker that's still in the pacifier stage when it comes to rushing and receiving. I think the guy has a safe spot on special teams, so here's hoping he figures it out. I want to think Schmitt has more to show than he has, mostly because I think the guy loves football and is really suffering his sucky play.

Defensive end Baraka Atkins appeared to hurt himself during a goal-line drill. He was slow getting up and tended to by trainers.

If serious, this would be a blow. Atkins and his anticipated development is one reason I don't foresee a regression from Seattle's pass rush. To achieve that, he must, obviously, play, but also, he must grow a bit in the preseason. Anticipating snap counts against your own team is one thing, but achieving a quicker first step against foreign competition is the litmus test. As with all preliminary injury news, this is to be continued.

A little more from training camp MVP, Talkin' Hawks

PLAYER OF THE DAY
David Hawthorne. The rookie middle linebacker from TCU is battling for a spot on the practice squad, if not the 53-man roster, and this morning he came out swinging.

First, he beat rookie fullback Owen Schmitt on a blitz to force an incomplete pass. Later, he hit and drove 254-pound running back T.J. Duckett backward in a short-yardage drill.

The former horned frog is tough to get any info about. I look forward to watching him myself, because he's one member of the Hawks' roster I really know nothing about.

PLAYS OF THE DAY
Offense: Center Steve Vallos locked up 314-pound defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, providing Duckett the lane he needed to pickup the first down in a third-and-1 drill.

Obviously, I don't have to say that's all kinds of good. Especially for a player whose greatest limitation is his strength. Mebane is a powerhouse who demands double blocks, and if Vallos can do that once...well, it's a step. You can count on Vallos getting special attention throughout the preseason. Quietly, he might be making a run for the starting center job.

Publically, Mike Holmgren has put Kelly Jennings' job up for auction. Privately, the idea is near absurd. Like last year's tactical challenge of Sean Locklear, this is more about a good player being challenged to get better. Not a condemnation of Jennings' play or a true solicitation of a replacement.

Seattle's nickelback spot is much less settled. A recent rumor circulated by Pro Football Weekly has stirred speculation that Kevin Hobbs could be taking over Josh Wilson's dime spot. In reality, both are competing for the nickel spot. The rumor itself should be ignored. It has all the hallmarks of bullshit. Nebulous source: team insider. Weird timing: July 16, when nothing team related is happening. Misguided quote: "I definitely see him possibly grabbing the ‘dime' role from Josh Wilson, whose best plays have come from having to use his athleticism to recover from all the plays he keeps missing." Wilson had 4 non-special teams tackles last season and not a single pass defense. I can't for the life of me remember a "best play" to speak of. But Wilson did begin to supplant Jordan Babineaux by very late in the season and should be considered the favorite for the nickel spot.

The reasons for that are simple. First, he's a Tim Ruskell pick, and good or bad we know that comes with some protection. Ruskell has aggressively promoted his own picks and largely sloughed off Holmgren era holdovers. He's also easily the most talented of the three corners in serious contention for the position. The man ahead of Wilson, Babineaux, was nearly benched by the end of the season and likely would have been benched if Wilson enjoyed a single prolonged period of health. Wilson also had a good mini-camp, and it must be recognized that "most improved" tags are commonly assigned hard-working roster fodder. One must improve from something to be most improved, and Hobbs was already released once by Seattle. He could be much improved and still only adequate, but, then, Hobbs is only 25, so marked improvement is possible. Possible.

And that's the fun part. Kevin Hobbs improving, challenging Wilson and Babineaux for the nickel spot is a win-win. Competition is a quickening that spurs greatness. Hobbs, Wilson and Babineaux should each push each other, and with any luck, the best will be selected to man the nickel. Be it Hobbs, be it Wilson-

Anyone but Babs.

Defense/Offense

Free Safety	Strong Safety
Brian Russell MikeGreen Jordan Babineaux	Deon Grant CJWallace Jordan Babineaux

Right Cornerback	Dime Back	SLB	MLB	WLB	Nickelback	Left Cornerback
Kelly Jennings Josh Wilson Jordan Babineaux	Jordan Babineaux Kevin Hobbs Rich Gardner	Julian Peterson Leroy Hill	Lofa Tatupu DDLewis Julian Peterson	Leroy Hill Will Herring Lance Laury	Josh Wilson Jordan Babineaux Kevin Hobbs	Marcus Trufant Kelly Jennings Josh Wilson

Right DE	Right DT	Left DT	Left DE
Darryl Tapp LawrenceJackson JasonBabin	Brandon Mebane Red Bryant Howard Green ChrisCooper	Rocky Bernard Marcus Tubbs Craig Terrill Larry Tripplett	Patrick Kerney Baraka Atkins Nu'uTafisi