Offense/Defense

Split End	Slot	Left Tackle	Left Guard	Center	Right Guard	Right Tackle	Tight End	Flanker
LoganPayne SammieParker	BillyMcMullen BobbyEngram	Walter Jones Sean Locklear FloydWomack	Mike Wahle MansfieldWrotto	Chris Spencer Steve Vallos	Floyd Womack MansfieldWrotto RayWillis	Ray Willis Sean Locklear	John Carlson Jeb Putzier Will Heller	CourtneyTaylor SammieParker

Fullback	Quarterback	Running Back
Leonard Weaver Owen Schmitt	Matt Hasselbeck Seneca Wallace Charlie Frye	Julius Jones TJ Ducket Maurice Morris

This is a brainstorm list of ideas how Seattle can cope with the loss of Bobby Engram. Egnram can't be placed on the PUP list and therefore counts as a "dead" man until he is able to return. That, obviously, is a bit of a kick in the teeth.

PUP List Deion Branch

Branch could return at the start of the season. It's not likely, but the notion is swirling, so it must be accounted for. With Engram out, it is now that much more important that Seattle prudently places Branch on the PUP list. That might sound counterintuitive. Branch is, after all, a wide receiver on a team in need. But two things must be considered.

First, Seattle is not in a position where they have gross wide receiver needs. Seattle has net wide receiver needs. They don't need wide receivers on the roster, they need wide receivers that can play and contribute. If Branch rushes his recovery, he might reinjure himself. An injured Branch is a second dead player. Better then to put Branch on the PUP list and activate him later in the season, when he has a better chance to maintain health and a better chance to contribute.

Second, going forward, Seattle shouldn't count on contributions from Engram or Branch. For the entirety of the 2008 season, Branch will be less than a year removed from surgery. Even if he can meet the minimum requirements to take the field, that does not guarantee effectiveness. Branch should not be counted on to contribute this season. Engram, 35, has already suffered the first of what could be a slew of career ending injuries. Engram should not be counted on to contribute this season.

Free up a roster spot and give Branch the best chance of maintaining health by placing him on the PUP list.

Take a Hard, Merciless Look at Logan Payne

Without an accrued season in the NFL, and only one season on the practice squad, Payne should be eligible for a second tour of duty. But that same spot could go to Michael Bumpus. Does Seattle take up a quarter of its practice squad with wide receivers? And how then do you fill out the other six spots? Certainly depth at offensive line is a must. Depth at defensive line and in the secondary is always wise. How about Brandon Coutu should Seattle think Olindo Mare their best bet this season? Retaining Joe Newton could allow for Seattle to keep only two tight ends on roster. Justin Forsett must be retained somehow. It might be that Seattle must sincerely consider what they have with Logan Payne and if his potential is worth retaining. He's not a contributor on special teams. And his value was always weighted more towards producing now than potential. If Payne can't earn his spot in the preseason, it might be best to cut him or place him on IR.

Start Ben Obomanu at Slot, Sub with Bumpus

As is, Courtney Taylor is likely to play flanker. Among Seattle's remaining wide receivers, Obomanu, Payne and Bumpus are best suited for Engram's slot duties. Accounting for skill set, performance, health and experience, that should read Obomanu, Bumpus and then Payne. Obo should play with the first team offense. He's not really like Engram, not surgical carving zones, not steady converting receptions, but he does have the minimum skills needed with some nice addendums: speed, agility and big play ability. Bumpus offers Seattle its best shot of Engram 2. He has good hands and an ability to read zones, and though Bumpus isn't fast, it's reasonable to think he's at least on par with the contemporary Bobby Engram. Put it to the test. Throw both into the fire and see who survives. Give each a half of strictly slot play. If Bumpus plays well in the second half, see if he can do it with the first unit. If Payne can take the field, throw him right out there with the first unit and see if he survives. The key is, audition the three strictly playing the slot. Without Bobby, the luxury of open tryouts is lost. Someone on this team must be able to produce now, and it's best that's decided in the preseason.

Rework your Base Offense

On Friday, Seattle employed 3 wide on 33 plays, mostly in both 3 WR, I and 3WR, TE, RB. Seattle relied heavily on those formations last season, in its pass first offense. A healthy and productive Bobby Engram, an old and regularly spelled tight end and a non-existent run game forced the move. Well, things have changed, and what were once weaknesses are now strengths and what were once strengths are now weaknesses. Depending on what Taylor shows and how Obo develops, John Carlson is Seattle's second to fourth best receiver. Theoretically, 2 WR, TE, I is the formation Mike Holmgren prefers. He maximized it in 2005, deftly exploiting its balanced qualities, and riding it to career seasons by Jerramy Stevens, Joe Jurevicius and Shaun Alexander. It's time to dust off the old playbook, because the talent is again better suited to Holmgren's former, more structurally conservative formation.

Entertain Signing a Veteran

It's clear Tim Ruskell believes in continuity. Continuity of talent. Continuity of evaluation. And continuity of leadership. That's one reason Seattle hasn't been involved in many rent a player contracts and why potentially helpful additions like Terry Glenn and Eric Parker have been ignored. But now is not the time for rigidity. Seattle's young corps has earned some respect, but should they flub or Taylor's hamstring (etc.) flare up, it would be foolish not to consider adding a hired gun; another option to the mix to keep Seattle from making any rash moves (like rushing Branch) or being hamstrung by a particularly underperforming unit. A mid priced free agent helps Seattle win now without mortgaging the future.

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.

Seahawks Insider

This was a very light, short practice because of an abundance of injuries. They highlight the day, so let's run through them first.

* Cornerback DeMichael Dizer has a torn ACL and needs surgery.
* Kyle Williams banged up his knee and is likely out for 3-4 days.
* Jordan Babineaux injured his knee, is getting an MRI today and his status will be re-evaluated.
* Pork Chop Womack hurt his knee and is having an MRI.
* Logan Payne cracked a rib and is out until it heals. The only thing to do is rest it.

* Nu'u Tafisi hurt his ankle and is likely out 3-4 days.
* Matt Castelo hurt his knee.
* Eric Wicks has a quad contusion.

Dizer was carried off the field Saturday. I said to my wife "There goes Dizer." She doesn't know who DeMichael Dizer is. Few people do. Unfortunately, few ever will because this might just end Dizer's career. Good luck guy.

Thanks for the cap room Porkchop. Can we cut you now?

The only injury that interests me is Payne's broken ribs. The injury itself isn't serious, but for a player that must be able to succeed over the middle, it's less than encouraging that he's already getting beat up. I just don't see how Payne can become a viable NFL receiver.

Courtney Taylor was back at practice but took part only in the drills. He said he will do drills this afternoon, then he wants to come back full-on tomorrow morning in preparation for Friday's game in Minnesota. He said he was ready to come back a few days ago but they are being cautious with him. But he sounded very jazzed to be back and playing.

I've assumed for a couple of days that Taylor is being protected. And if he is being protected, that means the second year receiver is getting special treatment. He certainly hasn't earned special treatment, so I would guess the team thinks they need him. I think the team needs him and all things considered, I would guess that Taylor has a darn good shot of entering the season as Seattle's starting flanker.

Talkin' Hawks

PLAYER OF THE DAY
Lawrence Jackson. The team's first-round draft choice must have sensed all those "How's Lo-Jack doing?" emails and blog queries I've been getting.

The performance by the defensive lineman from USC this morning underlined "just fine."

On one play, Jackson shot a gap and got to running back Maurice Morris just after he had taken the handoff. On another, Jackson beat rookie tight end John Carlson with an inside move so explosive that the team's second-round draft had to grab Jackson to prevent him from blowing up another play.

Jackson rarely does anything that qualifies as spectacular, but the steadiness of his solid game will fit nicely into the end rotation with Patrick Kerney and Darryl Tapp – and, Jackson also continues to slide inside to tackle in the No. 1 nickel line.

I'm pretty sure Jackson will be beloved by attentive fans and reviled by box score skimmers. Until his athleticism takes a leap, should it take a leap as he ages, he's going to be a steady, Bryce Fisher-type, well-rounded, heady, pass and rush defensive end. On the whole, he'll improve the defense. His size will help free Brandon Mebane to rush the passer. His strength will narrow rushing lanes to the outside. His intelligence will keep him in plays and provide contributions above his stats. But don't be surprised if he ends the season with 4-7 sacks. He's not Dwight Freeney, but, with a little growth, he can be Aaron Kampman.

Again Danny O'neil is the quickest draw in the land, and again that leaves him standing alone.

Seahawks Blog

Kelly Jennings played great coverage on a deep pass thrown to Bobby Engram during a seven-on-seven passing drill ...

This caught my eye because I think Jennings is about perfectly suited to shutdown Bobby Engram. Good cover, good reaction, great speed/quickness and enough strength. Obviously, then, it doesn't take much strength. I'll discuss this in greater detail during the podcast, but whatever Engram did last season, he's not who Seattle want to run their passing offense through.

A pass intended for Logan Payne was defended well by safety Jordan Babineaux. The ball hit Payne's hands, but it was the defense on the play that caused the incompletion. And had it been a game, Payne probably would have gotten clobbered by another safety in the middle ...

Can we call this the perfunctory Payne mention? And sorry Logan, if you can't hold onto the ball after impact, you don't have great hands. With my confidence in Payne's potential at an all-time low and Taylor MIA, I think the time to find depth at wide receiver is now.

Talkin' Hawks

PLAYS OF THE DAY
Offense: Pro Bowl tackle Walter Jones came off his block to chip Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson, which allowed running back Julius Jones to get around the corner and up the sideline.

Sounds like a well executed play. Given that it's Walter Jones and all, that's not news. Actually, I included this quote to applaud Clare Farnsworth. It's nice to see a subtle line-play get recognized.

Defense: Second-year defensive tackle Brandon Mebane got the best of veteran guard Mike Wahle not once but twice on the same play. Mebane blew up a running play by beating Wahle with an explosive inside move, forcing Wahle to grab him. Wahle demonstrated his frustration by slamming his hand on the turf and bellowing an expletive.

Last season, Wahle and Mebane fought to a stalemate. This season, it sounds like Mebane is taking over. I think Wahle will improve some this season, in better overall offensive line, alongside Walter Jones, and another year removed from major shoulder surgery, but recovering, regaining form, is never going to be a match for the natural growth of a young player. Not all young players improve as they enter their prime, but most do. And promising young players who really shined often take a major step their second season. That's how I cast Mebane, young, humble, full of potential, drive and just tapping his physical potential.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Jim Mitchell wants to know if Charlie Frye can be that third quarterback who will finally allow the Seahawks to use backup Seneca Wallace as a situational receiver/runner/retruner – to the point where he catches 3-5 passes a game?

A: In a word, no. While Frye continues to show improvement in mastering the offense, he also continues to torment the coaches with his inconsistency.

That was apparent Wednesday, when he overthrew a receiver in the end zone – in an against-air drill where there are no defenders. Then, during the scrimmage that ended the morning practice, Frye hooked up with rookie tight end John Carlson for a 17-yard completion, but also threw a pass to Logan Payne that was intercepted by Kevin Hobbs – after not going to his wide-open primary receiver for some reason.

I think we can safely say Frye is a requisite third string quarterback who must improve to be serviceable. Unlike Hasselbeck, who can produce through inferior weapons because of a great read and good accuracy, Frye will produce slightly below the level of his weapons. In Seattle, that's bad.

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.