Quick Thoughts on Training Camp Opening Weekend

Twelves were out in force for the first two days of training camp. The atmosphere was awesome. Here are some quick thoughts on how the team looked. I'll start with the receivers.

- Ricardo Lockette's athleticism and surprising coordination were on display all over the field on day one. His improvement on underneath routes was what impressed me the most though. Technique and route precision are still raw but he runs with confidence and our QBs didn't shy away from targeting him. No drops on day one. Two drops that I saw on day two. All together an encouraging start for him.

- As if in response to Lockette threatening his roster spot, Ben Obomanu had a tremendous day two. He was steady throughout practice and made a nice leaping grab down the sideline with two deeper roster DBs hanging on him.

- Doug Baldwin showed why he lead the team in receptions last year. Dude has viper-limbs.

-Golden Tate looked explosive. That's come to be the norm for Tate in training camp but it certainly beats the alternative. Didn't notice any problems with his hand. Breakout season status still pending.

- Deon Butler was very involved in the passing game on both days. He seems to have already developed a strong rapport with Matt Flynn. Their skill-sets sync nicely and they consistently connected on both days. Butler also had an interesting exchange with Richard Sherman on day two in 1v1 drills. Sherman opens with a fierce jam off the line but holds it one yard too many and the yellow flag flies. Sherm proceeds to jaw at the ref for a solid 20 seconds and makes sure he's matched up against Butler the next go around. Butler fights off the jam this time and spins Sherman around on an out-route - perfectly timed and placed ball from Flynn. The crowd approves. Sherman again matches up against Butler and sticks him with a stiff one-handed-jam. Butler shrugs it off and beats Sherm inside for the catch. The horn sounds shortly after that and Sherman lets loose a banshee yell of frustration. Butler has already disappeared back to obscurity. My new nickname for Butler is Ghost.

- Kris Durham had some bad drops today.

- Sidney Rice wore a red jersey day one and a blue one day two. Limited snaps for Rice and Kellen Winslow, but both appeared mostly healthy.

- The offence looked sloppy on day one, especially the offensive line. It looked better on day two, especially Matt Flynn. The QB competition is impossible to judge at this point. Flynn finished strong today though.

- If what I saw this weekend is any indication, I'm not at all concerned about Marshawn Lynch on the field. He was very decisive and smooth hitting the hole. Robert Turbin wasn't bad hitting the hole but the disparity of scheme understanding between Lynch and Turbin was apparent. I noticed Cable coaching up Turbin on several occasions. Turbin did display his quickness and speed though. He could definitely have an immediate impact.

- I didn't follow the offensive line much. The most notable thing I noticed was Max Unger always hustling to the front and leading the OL to the next station. That fat new contract he got is about more than just his performance on the field.

- Alan Branch opened camp as the starting 3-tech. Jason Jones replaced him in nickel packages and also saw snaps at 5-tech. Jones found his way into the back field on a few occasions and I remember him blowing up John Moffitt once.

- Red Bryant is big.

- Bruce Irvin was arguably the most impressive looking athlete on the field. There were at least two plays where he reached the edge and could've grabbed the QB. No holdout ill effects for Chris Clemons as far as I could tell. Clemons and Irvin were the favoured DE tandem in nickel packages. No Bandit sightings yet but I'm pretty excited about our new pass rush.

- Clinton McDonald and Jaye Howard were both pretty active. I was also encouraged to see Dexter Davis on the field and rushing the passer.

- Leroy Hill packs a serious punch. Experience isn't the only reason he always leads off bag-drills.

- KJ Wright played like our most consistent linebacker this weekend. For nickel packages he usually manned the mike position.

- Bobby Wagner and Barrett Ruud both saw time at mike with the ones in base formations, subbing out for nickel. Wagner does seem to shed blocks pretty well.

- Malcolm Smith had a few nice plays, including a perfectly read screen pass to Turbin on day one. He's off to a nice start for earning playing time.

- Korey Toomer, Jeremy Lane, Winston Guy, and Greg Scruggs all looked decent but none really stood out.

- In case you hadn't noticed, Richard Sherman enjoys the limelight. Whether he's dancing during warm-up, returning a pick-six from Tarvaris Jackson on day one, or picking a fight with an emotional-statue like Deon Butler, Sherman is constantly one of the most easily identified Seahawks. If he shuts down receivers like he did in the latter half of 2011, it won't be long before the national media identifies him as great entertainment.

- I don't believe Brandon Browner had a PI penalty called on him all weekend.

- There were a couple moments on each day where Kam Chancellor could've taken someone for a ride. He really has a knack for closing on receivers.

- I apologize to you all. I probably could have produced better notes if I hadn't spent so much time watching Earl Thomas. Wait a second - what am I talking about? I'm not sorry. Earl is the man.