Maurice Morris

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

Broken Tackles: 10
Drops: 1
Good Blocks: 2
Blown Blocks: 3

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

11/18/07

Morris' touchdown run was on the Alexander special, an off-tackle run with Sims pull blocking and Weaver leading the way. As much as J.C. Pearson insisted that Weaver laid a punishing block on Lance Briggs, the run was mostly about Morris hitting the hole with authority and not breaking stride until he was in the endzone. Nothing fancy, just good blocking, good rushing and a TD.

12/2/07

So, after the Westbrook score the Hawks are back behind. The offense is sputtering. How does Morris save the day? With quickness, a willingness to hit the hole, and one pretty good open field move. And really, that's about it. It's 3rd and 1, the Eagles are in their base defensive package with 9 in the box, Seattle runs a simple off tackle rush, but with a sizable hole, Morris explodes through, throws a sly little juke on Sheldon Brown, then crashes into the end zone. You know why Morris was able to do all that? Because he's an NFL caliber rusher, running behind a quality line, and the Hawks called the right play against the wrong defense. Simple, huh? If only Seattle could somehow give that NFL caliber rusher 20 carries.

Lowlights

11/25/07

Morris had a pair of plays that might have something to do with him heretofore not getting many carries, and in each it was his decision making that was suspect. The first came, perhaps surprisingly to you, on Morris' 46 yard rush. In the open field, a step ahead of two pursuing defenders and with a Seahawk blocking downfield to his right, Morris mistakenly broke his stride and attempted to put a move or stiff arm on Fakhir Brown. Morris looked to be running about as fast as Brown, but was a step or two ahead. Were he to simply continue to run at his top speed towards the endzone he likely would have scored, but, at the very least, he would have totaled more yards.

12/16/07

When the 6th play rolls around and the Panthers break in a distinctly different formation from the first 5, a blitz must be anticipated. That's when things sort of fall apart. The Panthers rush only 5, but get Davis one on one against Morris. That's because, just as in the second quarter, Jones blocks in, Sims blocks in, and no one blocks out. Morris gets a body on Davis, but Morris is not much of a blocker, and Davis blows through him with little difficulty. Beck doesn't sense the outside rush and attempts the pass at just the wrong time, exposing the ball and suffering the game ending fumble.

Outlook

Never has a more mediocre player been more remarkable. As a rusher, Morris is garden variety, fungible, undemanding in his style, rarely exciting, rarer still frustrating. Every big, effusive compliment of a Morris rush took off in the tailwinds of Shaun Alexander’s suck. Every big, vitriolic attack of Morris’ ability nosedived under the headwinds of Shaun Alexander’s legacy. Morris was the frolicking feather in Alexander’s gale.

As a receiver, Morris is good/very good. He runs tight routes, even downfield, has solid hands and his fast first gear makes him, again, steady if unremarkable after the catch. It’s surprising that Morris is still a Seahawk. Despite playing well in nearly every opportunity last season, Morris was given the tacit rebuff by the coaching staff. No matter how Alexander struggled, Morris mostly sat. In the 11 games both Alexander and Morris were healthy, and the team wasn’t resting its starters, Alexander was given nearly 3 times as many carries as Morris (185/63). In Alexander’s absence, Holmgren ramped up his pass first offense. Morris was never considered a legitimate replacement.

Morris, 28, has the skill set and career carries that should age—well shouldn’t age at all. Not in 2008, anyway. Morris should hold his gains from last season, be a little better than given credit for, a capable receiver and capable backup. But "backup" is all but indelibly etched into his profile. Should Julius Jones play well, I think he will, Morris should get a 1:2 split on the carries. Should Jones breakout, I think he will, Morris will backup the feature back, again, and again give Seattle a lot of cheap, unremarkable production.

Matt Hasselbeck

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

9/9/07

The series ends with Morris making a tumbling catch in the endzone for the score.

Let's start with the first play of the drive. Leonard Weaver's in as the lone back. Seattle's in a three wide, single tight formation. Weaver pops into the flat, Beck scrambles for three, but what's interesting here is that after the play ends Beck chews out Weaver seemingly because he ran the wrong formation or was supposed to stay back and block. Flash ahead to the presnap huddle on the seventh play of the drive. The Hawks only have 10 men on the field, and once everyone gets to the line of scrimmage that becomes clear. Someone, possibly Holmgren, calls a timeout from the side line. Beck, again, is visibly agitated. The camera zooms on him approaching Holmgren and I think I see his lips say: something, something "Wide Open".

The following formation is similar, but now instead of three wide and a single back, the Hawks start 3 wide with an I back formation. Presnap Morris motions to the left and you can see Hasselbeck watching as Derrick Brooks shadows out on coverage. It's really almost too obvious. The play starts, Beck looks right briefly and then keys on Morris running a fly pattern. Beck launches a real lofty pass, lots of arch, and Morris nearly loses the ball in flight, but is so wide open that he manages to catch it while crumpling into the endzone. I don't know if this was all planned together, if the ten men in the huddle was an attempt to see the Bucs coverage, or who spotted the obvious mismatch, but this is a great example of strategy conquering talent. Seattle scored that touchdown through sheer guile and almost in spite of Morris' efforts. It wasn't a by Websters trick play in true, but it was an obvious attempt to deceive the Bucs D and it worked to near perfection. Just fun football there.

11/4/07

Hawks ball, 2:07 on the clock, Seattle down by three. Beck scrambles for 11, completes a pair of dinks to Bobby Engram, the second for the first and midfield. Next play, Beck surveys left, turns right, ignores Weaver, stutter steps and then whips the ball into double coverage. Incomplete. Drive alive. Game alive. With 1:21 remaining, Beck drops back and finds Hackett on the edge for 15. The Hawks are at Cleveland's 35 and within Brown's range. One play later, it's 2nd and 6, 54 seconds remain in regulation. Mike Holmgren calls a run, Morris nets 4 hard earned yards, but 22 seconds are run off the clock. Next play, incomplete pass - it's now second and ten, the Hawks are 15 yards from the endzone, but with no timeouts. 18 seconds remain. Draw. Morris picks his way through the scrum, breaks an arm tackle, finds space in the second level, but is corralled at the Browns 4 yard line with time slipping away. Beck quick-spikes it. Brown converts the field goal. Overtime.

12/3/07

On his touchdown pass to Bobby Engram, Beck audibled Will Heller into an H-back position, and Shaun Alexander up and to his right in a wing back position. He did that, presumably, to pick up the Eagles' not at all disguised wide blitz. Funny, though, Alexander slipping up and out (almost) into the flat seemed to freeze Joselio Hanson and allow Engram to split the Eagles' zone. Were Alexander in his original position behind Beck, 5 yards behind the line, Hanson likely disregards Alexander, picks up Engram, and then who knows? Sometimes you make one right read and get another free for the effort.

Lowlights

11/4/07

It's 3rd and 7, following a 7 yard Morris run, following a 4 yard Alexander loss, and the Hawks are set in a 4 receiver 1 back set. After the snap, Beck takes a three step drop, stares down Bobby Engram, pats the ball just so the defensive backs can be sure he's about to throw and whips the ball into double coverage. Had he not stared down the receiver, the pat might not have mattered, had he not patted the ball, Sean Jones may not have been so sure that he could break on the route, but when you stare at one and only one receiver from the get go and then pat the ball just so everyone knows you're about to throw it, anything but a pick is a sign of luck or defensive incompetence.

12/3/07

Just a terrible game for Matt Hasselbeck. Terrible. Since I've been tracking the Hawks, I've never seen a game where Beck was so inaccurate, or worse, so bad about throwing into coverage. Every pass I note whether Beck's throw was accurate, underthrown, overthrown, into coverage or tipped. In most games Beck's accuracy rating is 70%+. On Sunday he was accurate on just a shade under 59% of his passes. In the fourth quarter he was especially bad, accurate on just 30% of his passes. So, he didn't have a bad fantasy day, his QB rating, a somewhat bad but not awful 78.92, and as for a meaningful stat, his DPAR was a more indicative -2.2, but though I haven't compiled information for the entire season yet, I think this was likely his worst game of the year. One more reason the Seahawks were lucky to survive on Sunday.

1/5/08

This is about as close as you'll ever see to me breaking news: Beck was playing hurt. Oh, you knew that? Well allow me to elaborate. On Beck's first pick, he sidearms the throw. An not just a little bit, but so that his arm is almost flat. I noticed a stretch of plays where he was throwing almost every pass this way. Beck does stare down Bobby Engram and that allowed Landry to jump the route, but the pass was slow, floated and so underthrown that Engram breaks his ankles trying to get back to it. Funny, too, because that's the last pass Beck threw like that. Maybe it just hurt less, and as a long as he could get away with it, he would.

Outlook

In 2007 Matt Hasselbeck set career highs in passing yardage, touchdowns and quarterback rating. Whoopee. Within Mike Holmgren’s broadcast and pass offense, he also set a career high in attempts. Attempts beget yardage and touchdowns and touchdowns disproportionately bolster quarterback rating. But throwing a lot and wracking stats does not a valuable quarterback make. The best metric available, DPAR, lists 2003 (87.3) and 2005 (88.4) as more valuable seasons than 2007 (77.0).

It’s wrong.

2007 was Matt Hasselbeck’s best season as a pro. His two best receivers, Hacks and Branch, missed snaps like it was going out of style. To say the running attack evaporated is to imply it disappeared, but it didn’t disappear, no, over 207 attempts the Alexander Express bore an oozing fistula into the heart of Seattle’s offense. The Hawks passing attack manifested in animated or reanimated castoffs, role players and backups. Marcus Pollard, 9.5 DPAR. Leonard Weaver, 6.7. Bobby Engram, 32.0. Mack Strong, 2.5. The Objectivist expanded his read, found plays wherever across the field, and on 72% of his passes, found openings, opportunities and made completions. For 18 games, Hasselbeck put 10 men on his back and created the semblance of offense.

Matt Hasselbeck will play most of the 2008 season a young 33. Behind a potentially dominant line, and with Sea Change improvements at running back and tight end, he may feel very young indeed. 2005 young, but with 2007's maturity. And barring any Mutations, 2008 should be Beck's best season ever--according to stats, according to analysis, and according to fan's everywhere Beer Can fueled memories.

Walter Jones

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

Blown Blocks: 16

Good Blocks: 4

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

9/16/07

Most importantly, Walter Jones looked himself, dominating defenders and cutting off the edge rush.

12/9/07

The next drive starts with a really nice block by Jones. We talk so much about blown blocks, or pancake blocks, but the best block is the doin' your job block. Joe Tafoya (remember him?) attempts a spin move and Jones freezes him halfway, so that Tafoya is neutralized and the two make a very short conga line.

1/5/08

Walter Jones looked fleet, spry.

Lowlights

9/9/07

Both of Seattle's sacks allowed on Sunday were unequivocally Walter Jones' fault. In my Matchupalooza preview I mentioned he would be facing a very quick young pass rusher, Gaines Adams, and that if he had lost some lateral agility that Adams would be well suited to expose it. The good word is that Jones had no problem with the speedy young end, nor did he look at all overmatched against the rest of Tampa Bay's various ends and tackles that he squared off against. Athletically, Jones looked tip-top, mirroring well on his slide steps, pulling with ease, purpose and velocity and generally looking like the franchise left tackle we have come to know and love. How is it that he allowed two sacks then? Counter-intuitively, not because the 11 year veteran has slowed a step or lost some explosiveness, but because he blew his assignment. They were mental errors.

The first occurred on Seattle's drive stalling flea-flicker in the second quarter. The play looked pretty sloppy to start, with Alexander badly selling the run and lateraling a sloppy pitch back to Beck. Needless to say, the Bucs weren't fooled, but Jones was. Marcus Pollard was deigned to cut off the outside pressure along the left while Jones was working the stop-the-free-rusher job often assigned to centers. In other words, Jones had no set defender to block, but instead was assigned Alexander's rushing lane (that turned into a pass rushing lane after the pitch back). Jones spied the hole for a split second and then got distracted by something happening to his right, at this point Jermaine Philips flew right behind him and had Hasselbeck dead to rights. The whole play was botched, Pollard didn't stop the edge rush, Alexander didn't sell the run, Beck couldn't find a free receiver and hesitated to throw but the sack falls squarely on Jones who simply blew his assignment.

The second sack allowed is simpler but more troubling. On third and three of the Hawks second drive of the third quarter Greg Spires made an outside move and though Jones shaded him well Spires froze him and simply darted around his outside shoulder untouched. You don't see Walter Jones freeze up like that and I can't help but think he might have been protecting his left shoulder. Once Spires had a step on Jones to the outside it looked as if Jones just didn't want to risk sticking his left arm out there and potentially being reinjured.

A combination of caution and cluelessness might be expected from a player who missed most of the preseason because of an ailing left shoulder. I'm not too worried about the blown assignment, but if Jones is favoring his left shoulder so badly that he fears putting an arm on Spires one must worry about Jones' health. This is a developing story worth watching.

12/6/07

Walter Jones and Rob Sims are still working on their chemistry. Sometimes I'm not sure if Jones is simply blowing his assignment or if he just expects Sims to do something else. Jones completely missed pass blocking the outside against Mike Rucker, nearly leading to a sack and/or turnover. I have to credit Jones with the gaffe, because, that's how it looks. I can't know if Sims was supposed to pop outside, but can say if he had, about three rushers would have poured through untouched inside.

Outlook

In my soaring, many-buttressed vision of the 2008 season, a crack exists that spans roof to foundation. Best as I try, through faith and historical precedent, to patch that crack, it won’t mend. And the ghouls that peak through, hungry, quick-footed and relentless, keep me awake at night.

Walter Jones is no longer the great left tackle he once was. The pattern of his failings makes me fear that injury, swift decline or an amalgam of each is very possible. Throughout 2007, when a defender reached the end range of Jones’ left arm, the point at which should he wish to maintain the block he’d be forced to hyper extend his arm, even slightly, Jones would bail. He’d disengage the block, sometimes attempt to reassume a comfortable position by moving his legs and then reengage the block, sometimes simply accept he was beat.

Unlike his enshrined peers, Jones is not capable of receiving in-game wonder cure, Cortisone, much less rank and file painkillers like Vicodin, Codeine, Anaprox, Indocin, Percocet and Percodan. Combined with his age, 34, his history of shoulder injuries and his gingerly, almost protective play...a bad, bad feeling wells up inside.

The good news is that the shoulder injury and intolerance for strong medicine are old news. Trials Jones endured, conquered for many seasons now. His play is no longer the once in a generation, freak-nastiness of the early Oughts, but his combination of solid pass blocking and sturdy, sometimes dominant run blocking still places him among the league’s best offensive tackles. He’s more than championship caliber. Healthy. Healthy, he’s more than championship caliber.

Leonard Weaver

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

10/14/07

Leonard Weaver offered some small antidote to our rushing woes by way of receiving. When the ball hits his hands he's off, proving a mismatch for New Orleans linebackers. His ability to be a true threat out of the backfield gives Seattle's split-back and to a lesser extent I-back formations new life. With Pittsburgh, and in the early going, New Orleans sitting on our receivers deep, Weavers' ability to explode from underneath could provide an invaluable scheme buster.

11/18/07

Weaver had a fantastic half, and though he's not quite Strong's equal as a run blocker, he's so far better as a rusher and receiver that he's a net upgrade. Weaver busted some heads on his one run, but it was the play where he turned an improvised Beck dish into a drive changing third down conversion that I want to break down. It's 3rd and 5 on the Hawks second to last drive of the half. Seattle is split four wide, with Weaver in the backfield. The Bears bring pressure, Beck escapes, scrambles left, sees Weaver open and delivers a low line drive. Weaver grabs the pass, knocks Trumaine McBride out of his shoes, stays in bounds with a graceful tip toe and nets 8 yards and the first. What makes this play so exciting is the combination of sure hands, power and grace that Weaver displays. Few receivers in the league can blow up a DB one moment and then tiptoe inbounds for a first the next. Gold Star.

11/25/07

Weaver put an end to the madness and blocked a blitzing Witherspoon on a crucial third down conversion. Weaver has improved tremendously as a run and pass blocker since the preseason contest against the Pack.

12/9/07

On the fourth play of the Hawks' second drive, Clancy Pendergast cued up a nifty little five man blitz. Four interior rushers stunted into the line, creating confusion and occupying all five primary blockers. That allowed Matt Ware to come free from the outside edge. Unfortunately for Ware and the Cards defense, Leonard Weaver had his blocking shoes on. Ware is 6'2, 214; a somewhat large DB. That made it all the more fun to see him shot into the air. The funniest part, Weaver blocks Ware and then looks bemused by the results - like he's awed by his own strength.

1/5/08

Weapons Grade Plutonium: A lot of things went right to allow Weaver to rush 17 yards for the score. Foremost, Weaver is an excellent rusher for a fullback. After the snap, Spencer pulls out, but doesn't engage his man. Nevertheless, his presence still functions as a pick, which Weaver exploits perfectly, running behind Spencer until he has a clear angle to the right then cutting towards the sideline. That's where Engram is performing a very determined downfield block. Not dominant and maybe not even legal, but the officials were extremely permissive of holds, and what Engram did was by no means the the worst display of holding I saw in this quarter. (That would be Stephon Heyer grabbing a hold of Kerney's jersey and then falling backwards to the ground, taking Kerney with him.) At this point it's all up to Weaver to smell endzone, and he's does so admirably. Even getting airborne to cross the pylon.

Lowlights

10/7/07

Weaver badly blew a block on Alexander's lone meaningful rush. First play, first Hawk drive of the second half, and the type of blown block that gives you chills. He didn't whiff squaring up against a defender or get caught in traffic, he just ran into his own O-Line, right into Chris Gray's back, so that once Alexander bounced the ball outside, as he's wont to do, Weaver was behind Alexander.

1/5/08

Weaver: Right now, Weaver is a better rusher and receiver than Mack Strong ever was. That's not dig on Strong either, who had some solid seasons. What Weaver can't compare to Strong on is awareness. As a blocker, Weaver runs readily and makes solid contact. Because of his feet and overall strength, Weaver has the potential to be a very good blocker, but he just doesn't always know who to block. That's pretty crucial, of course. On the 3rd play of the Hawks 3rd drive, Morris was dialed up to run off tackle. The Skins' Marcus Washington is walked up to the line, clearly positioned for a run blitz, or a read/react run blitz, but Weaver, whose lead blocking out of the "I", runs past Washington and engages an irrelevant DB. Washington shoots in untouched and Morris eats it for a loss of 3. Good discipline by Mercury here to not attempt to escape a broken play, but the result still effectively kills the drive.

Outlook

Mike Holmgren is an execution coach. He’s not flashy or innovative, but uncompromising and disciplined. Execution without innovation is a Honda Accord. Innovation without execution is an Edsel. Execution without innovation is Philip Roth. Innovation without execution is your bespectacled roommate that loiters coffee shops, two books apparent (a heavily dog-eared A Reader’s Manifesto and an immaculate as a slab of marble 77 Dream Songs), with alcoholic affectations and a thousand blank notebooks. But though uncompromising dedication to execution has earned the former schoolman a spot in the Hall, it’s not without blood. Slippery speed back Ahman Green springs to mind.

Leonard Weaver nearly suffered Holmgren’s wrath. Had the Walrus still been the man with the phone, Weaver may not have survived the preseason. Had he not, it would have been a debilitating loss. Weaver is a talented rusher and receiver with developing blocking skills. His execution is still primitive, but he’s a recently converted tight end faced with an abbreviated learning curve. As sure as his imperfections glared under the hot August sun, his passion and potential burned through the cold winter months. Weaver has a fistful of talent and the soul of a hustler. It’s too bad this might be his final season in Blue. So, with Owen Schmitt aboard, does Seattle unleash the scariest power package in the NFL (Burleson, Schmitt, Carlson, Weaver and Duckett) or do Weaver’s rough edges force him to the periphery? Execution is irreplaceable, but so is talent.

Chris Spencer

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

12/16/07

On the Morris draw in the redzone: The play call was fine, IMO, but Chris Gray caused a cascade effect that left Morris without a vital lead blocker. 8th play of Seattle's first drive, Hawks break with 3 wide receivers and an I formation. At the snap, Walter Jones, Rob Sims and Sean Locklear control their assignments, Chris Spencer orchestrates a very slick pull block, but Gray is obviously overwhelmed and steadily falling off his block.

1/5/08

On the third play of the Hawks' final series of the half, Seattle set up a modest screen to Leonard Weaver on 2nd and 15. I say modest because only Spencer was out lead blocking, but, boy, what a determined, dominant block Spencer was dishing out. Spencer, quietly, has really improved. He's not falling over, he's diagnosing blitzes and disengaging combo blocks to pick up free blitzers, and he's beginning to show his huge potential as a pull blocker.

Lowlights

Young and Old united in sucking: Jones and Chris Spencer each blew a block in the run game. Jones no longer sustains run blocks like he used to, something made that much more glaring by Alexander's maddening foxtrot behind the line of scrimmage. Spencer did what Spencer does, trip. On both plays, a better running back could have escaped, specifically, on Spencer's blown block Alexander needed only to run around the fallen defender (he had, in fact, tripped over the tripped Spencer) to get to the edge and two pulling blockers, but on both plays Alexander froze, allowed Cleveland to swarm around him and then he futilely cutback into the pile. We have to hope Jones has plateaued, that he's declined, but is not declining further. Not yet at least. Spencer's footwork is quickly rising to a paramount concern. The Hawks drafted him so he could be an athletic force pulling and picking up blitzes. If he can't move around without falling over, that potential disappears.

11/04/07

The Seahawks go for it. Half-a-yard and the drive's sustained, Seattle will have 3+ downs to crawl 10 yards into the outer limits of Brown's range. The Hawks break huddle with three wide receivers, Will Heller on the left end and Morris the lone back. At the snap, Rob Sims pulls, Chris Spencer springs upright against two Browns defenders and is exploded back, Sims glances off his blocker, and Morris does little more than plunge ahead into the barely visible crease between Sims and the collapsed Walter Jones. He's well short of the first. Browns' ball. Game over.

Outlook

Quietly, like an approaching flash flood, Spencer turned the bend. In 2008, the churning, onrushing wall of blue and white arrives—maybe. Spencer was the first player ever drafted by Tim Ruskell. His profile: Ultra-toolsy but raw. It’s not surprising, then, that in his first three seasons Spencer endured persistent blown assignments and botched blocks. What startled, even scared was Spencer’s slippery feet and complete lack of power. But potential buys patience. Late in the season, as Chris Gray collapsed, Spencer began to get it. He wasn’t blowing through defenders or making highlight reel blocks, but he was assignment correct, moving efficiently through space, winning blocks off the snap and if never looking dominant, looking competent. The athletic force the Seahawks drafted needed only competent skills to be a top-tier center. Alas, that Spencer might be lost. For the second straight offseason, Spencer underwent shoulder surgery. How much that has contributed to Spencer’s apparent lack of explosiveness is beyond my ken, but for an offensive lineman, shoulder injuries can ruin careers. Depending on the power and resilience Spencer has left on the operating table, he could be a great center just entering his prime or a competent center hardly worth his draft slot. Stay tuned for Training Camp.

Brian Russell

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

11/25/07

9th play, now from the 2. Rams rush Steven Jackson, Russell comes in for the fill, bounces a bit off to the side, but stalls Jackson's progress. Leroy Hill grasps Jackson's legs and the two combine for the stop. Each play was essential to the Hawks winning. Kudos, guys.

12/16/07

Brian Russell had his best tackle of the season, in what should have been a forced fumble. Russell gets his share of cheepy hits, but in this case, it almost paid off. Brad Hoover was sliding down after a 1 yard dump off by Moore. The typical thing to do here is get a hand on the guy so that he's down. Russell decides he's going to blow Hoover up. The brunt of the hit lands on Hoover's arms and the ball, spitting it up into the air and right back into Hoover's arms. The whole play is called dead on a Kelly Jennings illegal contact, but the effort's appreciated.

Lowlights

Think when he decides to play bad: I was not very high on the Brian Russell signing. At the time I didn't even think he'd make the starting squad. Through training camp and into the preseason it became clear that Russell would be the starter and Michael Boulware's days as a Hawk were over. I was still pretty iffy on Russell - in part because of a natural distrust of players whose "leadership" is touted well above any particular skill or accomplishment. But the defense was playing well, the deep pass wasn't the bugaboo it had been for so many years and it's just plain hard to evaluate the play of a free safety.

Eight games into the season, it's time we start asking ourselves "

what is Brian Russell doing?"

I went back through the entire season's play-by-play (provided by CBS) and recorded every play Russell was listed beside. That encompassed an interception, 3 pass defenses and 38 tackles. For each I recorded the total yardage recorded on the play. The interception and 3 pass defenses each earned 0s. I also recorded if the play was successful or not. First let's establish a baseline. Pro Football Prospectus records very similar stats for all defenders, my 2006 copy was most handy so I grabbed a couple players from it: A Pro Bowler and a Castaway.

Brian Dawkins:

Target: 14% (6th out of 75)

Pass Stop: 53% (33)

Pass Yards: 7.4 (28)

Rush Stop: 46% (24)

Rush Yards: 7.2 (41)

Michael Boulware:

Target: 10% (29)

Pass Stop: 51% (39)

Pass Yards: 9.2 (51)

Run Stop: 33% (47)

Run Yards: 8.4 (51)

Boulware had a decent season, it was 2005 and everything was right in the world of the Seahawks. I provided his data instead of someone who performed worse, because Boulware is the player Russell replaced. It's important to look at these stats together. For instance, if a player's target number is high, he may simply be making up for the failings of others, something important to consider when looking at his Stop Rates and Average Yardage rankings. If his Stop Rate is good, but his average yardage bad, that might indicate his team was able to force their opponent into long yardage situations. Remember, allowing a 17 yard completion on 3 and 20 is a success. And if a player's stop rate is middling or poor, but their total yards allowed rate is poor or worse, it might be a good indication that that player is not only allowing a lot of successful plays, but big yardage plays. That's Boulware. Of course when a player is bad in all categories...

Brian Russell:

Target: 9.6% (estimated)

Pass Stop: 18%

Pass Yards: 13.4

Run Stop: 29%

Run Yards: 11.7

That's staggering. Russell must be one of, if not the worst safety in football in all four ratings. When we gripe about opponents converting long third downs, the poor use of zones, and uninspired blitz packages, we might be missing the forest for the tree. A full 21% of Russell's tackles are 20+ yards downfield. Russell is consistently playing so soft, so conservatively, that he's accomplishing little more than preventing the homerun. None of this should be terribly surprising. Russell is a journeyman FS who's been let go by some iffy pass defenses. With two other viable free safeties on roster, it's time Russell's job security is a least questioned.

11/25/07

Here's Brian Russell's charted stats for the half: Blown Tackle, Blown Assignment, Blown Tackle, Blown Assignment, Blown Tackle.

12/2/07

Shaun Alexander is a once great running back. His play is inextricably linked to the Hawks' Super Bowl run of 2005-2006. He, therefore, deserves some tolerance, some mercy. Brian Russell deserves to be catapulted into the sun. I broke down the Kevin Curtis touchdown for my fiancée and just before the reception paused the game and pointed at Brian Russell, she asked "What's he doing?" My answer was pretty easy "Nothing," or more accurately getting faked out of his shoes on Curtis' double move.

The Hawks are in base formation. The Eagles have two receivers left, Reggie Brown and the aforementioned Curtis. At the snap Brown slants right and into Deon Grant's zone. Grant covers him. Jennings, in man coverage, runs stride for stride with Curtis. Curtis enters Russell's zone and is double covered, briefly. Curtis runs a double move, false step in, slant out, slant in. On the second move, the slant in, he completely sheds Russell. It's now one on one deep. Jennings is a step behind, Feeley finds his man open, and for a second before Curtis hauls in the catch, you can see Russell all alone deep left, covering no one, doing nothing. This is the shot that prompted Alanya to ask the question every informed Seahawks fan has been asking for weeks. Were Jennings better, he still could have stopped the catch, but when a player runs deep left, it's the job of the free safety to pick him up and apply the double cover. In fact, since Russell provides nothing in the way of run support and plays so deep as to rarely be involved in all but the deepest passes, helping out in deep cover is about all Russell is asked to do.

Oh Jesus, do we have to revisit Russell? As long as he's on the field I suppose yes. 4th play, first Eagles drive of the 3rd quarter. Philly's offensive line creates a nice "^" shaped seam for Westbrook to rush through. Given the blocking and Westbrook's ability, this run was destined for at least 10 yards. That's because the only unblocked Hawks are members of the secondary, and one doesn't even come close to Weapon X until he's 10+ yards downfield. That "one" is free safety Brian Russell. Russell's job is to figure out, on the fly, where he can meet Westbrook head on, hopefully tackling him and preventing the score. Because Russell is to the right of Westbrook and because Westbrook is faster than Russell, Russell's vector of pursuit should be flat. That is, he should attempt to use his cushion to meet Westbrook where he'll be. Instead, for what, the third straight week?, Russell takes the wrong angle, pursues where Westbrook was, moves from five yards ahead of the rusher to a half a yard behind and to the side, and attempts a tackle that puts the hopeless in futile. If Russell can't cover deep, can't prevent long rushes from turning into scores, can't pick the ball or prevent long first downs, what is it that he can do?

1/5/08

Finally, further proof that Brian Russell rots. It's 4th and 1, the Skins are on the Hawks 27, a stop for Seattle gives them the ball and a 13 point lead with about 16:00 minutes left in regulation. Important, yousay? The Hawks D is in a base formation, the Skins run a PA out of a heavy package. Russell reads the PA, at the line of scrimmage assumes man coverage on Sellers, and then is Cajun cooked by Washington's 32 y/o, 284 pound fullback. That Russell had to interfere with Sellers to prevent a touchdown reception is, is, - Jesus, Russell, it's just pathetic. Russell pitches a fit to the official, but on replay you can see Russell grabbing Sellers' leg with his right arm. A real "heady" move by a player that would make a better coach.

Outlook

"Russell is the reactionary fling following Ken Hamlin"

That was predictable. The oodles of shit-tastic, phantom safety play by Brian Russell, that is. I was on to Russell August 6th, but the Pale Rider continued to give good quote, "lead", jog to and fro pre-snap, and otherwise appear just in time to catalog the carnage the entire season. No, nothing could stop him. Not his criminal lack of athleticism, his evident poor decision making, his inexplicable angles in run pursuit or the Bouncing Betty I buried in his front lawn. And unless something fortunate happens between now and season's start, Russell will return as the Seahawks’ starting free safety.

Joy.

Sean Locklear

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

TBA

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

N/A

Lowlights

11/4/07

Overtime. The Hawks win the flip and start their drive on their own 30. Against a soft rush, Beck improvises a rollout and completes a 17 yard strike to Bobby Engram. After a two yard dish, and an incomplete forced by a blown block by Lock, the Hawks are staring down third and eight. Seattle sets up 4 wide, Weaver the lone back; at the snap, Cleveland rushes 3 but gets pressure when Lock blows another block allowing Orpheus Roye to get free. Sensing the rush, Beck scrambles, catches a good block by Sims and dives...for...the...first! The officials measure, review and overturn, rightly determining that Beck only rushed for 7 - and a half. The Seahawks go for it. Half-a-yard and the drive's sustained, Seattle will have 3+ downs to crawl 10 yards into the outer limits of Brown's range. The Hawks break huddle with three wide receivers, Will Heller on the left end and Morris the lone back. At the snap, Rob Sims pulls, Chris Spencer springs upright against two Browns defenders and is exploded back, Sims glances off his blocker, and Morris does little more than plunge ahead into the barely visible crease between Sims and the collapsed Walter Jones. He's well short of the first. Browns' ball. Game over.

Outlook

Sean Locklear, like Kelly Jennings, is best recognized for how infrequently he forces you to recognize him. Locklear is a steady right offensive tackle that excels against speed rushers. His greatest weakness is a sustained bull rush. His poorest showings were both against 3-4 defenses, at Cleveland and at Pittsburgh. I don’t expect Locklear to play especially better this coming season, but I do think three separate factors will improve the perception of his play. The first is a running back capable of reaching the edge. Seattle ran the ball just 38 times off right end, and was the third worst team in football at doing so. The second is replacing Chris Gray with Rob Sims. Gray’s failings put an undue burden on Locklear. I didn't think this play qualified as a highlight or lowlight, but it does elucidate the travails of playing beside a human turnstile:

Sims and Locklear should comprise an excellent pass blocking right side. And third, Seattle plays its tight end mostly off right tackle. While Marcus Pollard was not a terrible blocker, John Carlson is stronger and so much more of receiving threat that he should improve Seattle’s ability to run off right tackle and around right end.

The question that remains for Locklear is can he become a solid left tackle? I’m skeptical. He looked excellent in last year’s preseason, but though he’s quick, agile and has good technique, he lacks vital strength. He doesn’t blow opponents off the line run blocking and given his weakness to the bull rush, can easily be game planned against. On the right he can be regularly aided by a tight end, but on he left he will be asked to more often block alone. Further, while a defense lacks incentive to game plan against a right tackle, all defenses attempt to overwhelm and exploit whatever weakness they can against an opposing left tackle. A vulnerable blindside is death to the passing attack. Lock turned 27 yesterday. He’s entering his peak power/athleticism seasons. It’s possible he improves his strength and takes that next step, becoming a well-rounded, sturdy left tackle. If he can, his recent extension will be a bargain.

Patrick Kerney

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

TBA

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

9/9/07

What the numbers don't say about Patrick Kerney is just how aware he is. No play better defined this than on Tampa's fifth play of their second drive. The Bucs have just entered the red zone, 3rd and 2, Seattle's aligned in a base package with Kerney and Darryl Tapp at the ends. After the snap Rocky Bernard barrels in getting some good inside rush, Tapp runs a very wide pass rush and looks to be largely out of the play, but never stops fighting. Jeff Garcia makes a very bad pocket read, sensing the inside pressure he incorrectly rolls out, exposing himself to Kerney—now unblocked. That mistake is the key, Kerney didn't strip his blocker, he just held back and watched Garcia, when Garcia incorrectly chose to role out to the right he escaped his own pocket and left himself exposed to a suddenly free Kerney. Kerney sees Tapp still chugging out and behind Garcia and instead of rushing right at Garcia he shadows him, shutting down Garcia's rushing lane and passing lane. Tapp, now free, runs up Garcia's backside and the Bucs Qb, with no other option, runs, getting sandwiched between Tapp and the now charging Kerney. Kerney makes every right decision on this play and the result is a three yard sack on a critical third down.

10/21/07

Kerney had another nice game. His sack on the Rams first play of their second drive is a great example of how sometimes, very rarely, one player makes the play essentially on his own. Tapp is out with a busted up hand, subbed in is Atkins aligned at right end. Pre-snap, the Hawks three down linemen minus Kerney slide right, Kerney in turn slides slightly out left. At the snap, Terrill and Mebane crash into the center of the pile, Atkins stays in the blocks (duh.) and Kerney puts a "you don't belong here" bull-rush on Milford Brown. Brown is walked, no, jogged back, Kerney gets in under Brown's pads, pushes off and wraps Bulger up in a you-never-had-a-shot kind of sack.

11/18/2007

Bears on the Hawk 42 with a little under 6 left to play. This is the play of the game. Hawks set up in a base defensive package. The Bears: 2 wide right, I-back with a single tight end. At the snap Chicago runs a little play action, Grossman runs one of the lazier PAs in the NFL and no one looks to be fooled, looks down field and then scrambles left. Enter our hero, Patrick Kerney. Kerney explodes off the snap, gives Fred Miller a hell of a push, but has no clear angle to Grossman. Roberto Garza disengages from the scrum and gives Kerney a glancing block from the side. Kerney, unlike the Bears right side, decides the play is not over, splits the two blockers, runs Grossman down from behind and delivers the strip.

12/2/2007

Here's your blitz package of the game. Run out of my favorite formation, the 3-3 Nickel. It led to the Julian Peterson INT, but, really, Pete did little more than let the ball into his hands. The superstar of this blitz is Patrick Kerney, who's won me over. You? The other 4 rushers are primarily decoys, designed to open a center channel for Kerney to zip through, unabated to the quarterback - but in a legal way. For that to work, Kerney must not only be quick, he must be quick off the snap, take just the right angle to the gap, and then explode through it before Feeley can adjust. Blitz accomplished.

12/9/07

In 17 of 67 plays, Kerney broke free from his blocker or blockers and had an open lane to the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage. That forces incompletions, interceptions, causes rushers to cut against their rush lanes and, all around, disrupts an opponent's offense. Kerney isn't blindingly fast along the edge, he gets most of his sacks by way of a good burst off the snap, a great push move that gets him separation, clean lines to the quarterback, but above all, hustle. What has to frighten Cardinals fans is that Kerney made such a mockery of Levi Brown mostly by way of speed rushing the outside. Kerney's quick, but he's not elite or otherworldly. No, Brown is just very, very slow - or, rather, inagile.

Lowlights

N/A

Outlook

The front office and I were of mind about Kerney and Tapp, dedicating their first round pick to a defensive end. Specifically. Next week we’ll start community projections. Football defies the cool, quantifiable nature of baseball. We’ll need to work in something more analog. The Hawks don’t need Kerney to repeat yesteryear’s weekly beatdown, but a late career Wistrom-like collapse could be disastrous. Age is against him. Bernard’s age and injury history are against him. Depth, coverage, Tru’s run tackling, Leroy Hill’s development, Red Bryant, DE rotation-mate Lawrence Jackson and Kerney’s own dedication to fitness are on his side. Age still might win. Because age, like Tony Jaa, is an insatiable ass-kicker.