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.

Before we delve into the 3^rd quarter, I wanted to talk briefly about Howard Green. Some may know that I don't much like Green. That is, I don't think he's a particularly good defensive tackle. Against Minnesota, Green forced a fumble, recorded two sacks and caught the improbable interception of the preseason. Just an awesome statistical showing. Green can do that. He's a playmaker. What he needs to be is a run stuffer and I don't think he can. At 6'2", 320, Green has the size of a solid 1-tech run stopper. That impression, that he could hold the point and clog rush lanes, is why Green bounced around the league, disappeared for a couple seasons before resurfacing in 2007. See, Green is not a run stuffer. He's overmatched against double teams and isn't even really reliable against single blocks. He's a single gap defensive tackle trapped in the body and athleticism of a two gap tackle. Paired with Craig Terrill, the two, Seattle's little man unit, watched on for the Cedric Benson careen, the DeAngelo Williams cutback and Ryan Grant reading Seattle its last rights. He's also never recorded a regular season sack in 24 games.

With Tubbs out, this team badly needs a healthy Red Bryant to create some semblance of sturdiness on its second team tackle rotation. Not to consciously run against the grain, but - that was a hell of a game for Green and I'd just rather he didn't play too much when it matters.

• Josh Wilson blew coverage in a familiar site for Seattle DBs. He slipped attempting to breaking on a simple curl route.
• David Hawthorne has some serious pop. That pop, power, explosiveness, tackling, whatever, has a lot to do with his forced fumble on the play of the third quarter, but I'd give equal credit to Terrill.
• It's 2^nd and 7. Minnesota aligns with 3 WR, TE, Rb. Seattle is in a base 4-3. At the snap, the Vikings attempt to pull the right tackle and center, with the two guards collapsing the middle. Babin, who had a very good game, stalemates the guards, but this is incidental. D.D. Lewis targets pulling right tackle Marcus Johnson. Johnson responds with a somewhat premature and somewhat misguided cut block. That leaves Albert Young exposed. Hawthorne annihilates Young. Young's collapsing limbs squirt the ball high into the air. But it is what happens first, why Hawthorne has a five yard freeway to the ball carrier, without a blocker in sight, that makes this play.
• Let's start again. At the snap, the Vikings attempt to pull the right tackle and center, with two guards collapsing the middle. The center, the man who would have sealed off the inside and prevented Hawthorne from an open path to the ball carrier, is retarded by Terrill's almost instantaneous penetration. Terrill's presence in the backfield, two yards deep before the center can even fully pull, is what forces John Sullivan to readjust and take on Terrill. Without him, Hawthorne tees off. Without Terrill, Hawthorne doesn't force a fumble.
• Directions for a Lawrence Jackson sack: Explode off the snap, maintain perfect spacing against the tackle, shove said tackle into next week, enter trail position on quarterback, hit that second gear like a Boxster, and, oh yeah, be so damn smart you poke the ball away before sacking your former teammate. I'm gettin' a jersey.
• Bumpus looked good. Real good. And quick. But let's be clear. Minnesota had the 23^rd ranked pass defense last season. Minus McCauley, their defensive back depth is atrocious. As sure as Seneca Wallace's pass to Joe Filani was a nice show of arm strength if not accuracy, it was doubly proof that the Vikings' DBs are completely clueless. Speaking of Bumpus, clueless and Filani, quitting on your route is bad Joel. Quitting on the route so that you are seen jogging past - almost shielding - the targeted receiver, one Michael Bumpus on a crisp deep out route, is why you can start packing your bags.
• Guess what? Emotion is stupid. T.J. Duckett didn't play poorly. For one, he didn't actually fumble. Well, he did kind of fumble on the play negated by a Letroy Guion facemask, but Tyrell Johnson sunk his helmet right into the ball. Duckett didn't do anything particularly careless. The second non-fumble fumble, was just a non-fumble. As in, a player is allowed to let go of the ball when he's clearly down. The officials overturned it and the play shouldn't be held against Duckett. Actually, I'll get back to that play in a second, because a funny thing happens...
• I watched Duckett make good decisions. I watched Duckett fight through trash for an additional two yards on 3^rd and 2 on the Minnesota 14. And I watched Duckett take the brunt of Seattle's bad blocking.
• Flash ahead. Seattle's second drive, fourth play, 3^rd and 6 on the Seattle 42. Mansfield Wrotto misreads the blitz, or is misdirected by Steve Vallos' line call, and two Vikings shoot into the pocket, chase Seneca Wallace and "force" an intentional grounding. Three plays later, Seattle with the ball again after Jamar Adams and Hawthorne team up for another forced fumble. Seattle's in 2 WR, I, TE formation. Vikings, base 4-3. It's 1^st and 10 on the Minnesota 18. At the snap, Wrotto again badly blows a block allowing Erin Henderson and half of Minnesota's defense through the proverbial crack in the dam. Duckett isn't Barry Sanders and he's not football agile and he's not going to put a move on everyone or bounce the ball outside when a geyser of purple bodies are bearing down on him. The worst we can say about Duckett is he didn't accept the failed block and do his best to minimize lost yards. That's bad, but not Wrotador bad.
• Moving along. First play, Seattle's final drive of the quarter. 3 WR, I against a Minny Nickel D. Kyle Williams is swam over, putting Duckett headlong into a free defensive end before he even hits the hole.
• Finally, to our non-fumble. 1^st, 10, Seattle 46. The Hawks again break 3 wide, I against a Nickel D. The play involves a trap block from Ray Willis, who must cut across the line and seal the outside left. Willis is slow on the draw, or slow to recognition or just slow, and begins moving left only after seeing a free defender circling the left side. That's bad. Duckett, nearing the line of scrimmage perpendicularly intersects Willis' path, y'know running the ball, forcing Willis not to hold up, but rather to attempt a cut block that lowbridges Duckett and sends him tumbling head and ball first into the turf. Der.
• Duckett can be picky and slow in his first gear, but I think we can put the shovels away. He certainly didn't do anything on Friday to warrant murmurs of cutting him.

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.