SB Nation - Koren Robinson

Mike Holmgren's Greatest Managerial Achievement

John Morgan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:45:48 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Even in red, a Seahawk.

Mike Holmgren selected Steve Hutchinson 17^th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, seven picks after selecting Koren Robinson and 23 picks before he selected Ken Lucas. If Robinson could have kept off the bottle, that would have been a hell of a start to a draft. He swapped first round picks with Green Bay for Matt Hasselbeck, drafted Heath Evans, Alex Bannister, and John David Booty's older brother, Josh.

Holmgren built the 2005 offense that weekend. He won the draft. In a draft that produced someday Hall of Fame candidates: Richard Seymour, Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne and Adrian Wilson, Holmgren won. The Panthers picked Dan Morgan, Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith with their first, second and third round selections, but still Holmgren's was better. He built the unit that would lead Seattle to its first and only Super Bowl.

Well, not quite.

The Bears cut Bobby Engram August 29 and Holmgren signed him August 31. Engram signed a two-year contract that paid him less than $500,000 annually. He was the 101^st highest paid receiver in 2001.

Engram received a 60k raise his second season and took on punt return duties to compensate. He averaged 10.7 yards per return and returned one to the house. That was the season Engram became the darling of Football Outsiders metrics. Targets to Engram ranked 26^th in total value and 13^th in value per target. He was ninth and second in 2003.

Holmgren struggled to fill out a roster and his teams were notoriously thin and talent poor defensively, but man did that man know early 21^st-century offense. He squeezed maximum value from slot receivers. Engram wasn't some schlub. He won the first ever Biletnikof trophy in 1994 and still holds most of Penn State's receiving records. Unlike Deon Butler, Engram wasn't a steady four-year starter with time to burn. Joe Paterno suspended him for the entire 1992 season after he was caught burglarizing an apartment and stealing a stereo with teammate Ricky Sayles. All charges were dropped against Engram after police determined Sayles convinced Engram the two were allowed to take the stereo.

The 1996 draft class included Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, Amani Toomer and Joe Horn. Engram was the eighth wide receiver selected, behind Johnson, Glenn, Kennison, Harrison, Moulds, Alex Van Dyke, Bryan Still and Muhammad. Engram never broke through with the Bears, struggling to receive for 38 year old Dave Krieg, Eric Kramer, Rick Mirer, Steve Stentstrom, Cade "AIDS" McNown and Shane Matthews, but he was good. Engram ended his career with Chicago with consecutive seasons of over 900 yards receiving before an ACL tear ended his 2000 season.

Holmgren didn't cash in a high pick or find a serviceable safety in the second, the kind of feats any GM can stumble into, he did that thing that separates the best general managers from the merely competent: found freely available talent and turned it into a long term asset.

Engram is a free agent after Kansas City cut him earlier this season. His time with the Chiefs was a tornado-obliterated double wide in a Rolls Royce career. Or maybe an efficient Elise is more Bobby's style. His short stop in the nation's dust mite might and probably will end Engram's fourteen-year career.

But maybe week 17, should the Tennessee Titans be out of it, Seattle can IR Patrick Kerney and sign Engram for one last perfectly-timed, Hasselbeck-to-Engram curl route for eight and the first.

2008 Season Retrospective: Seneca Wallace

John Morgan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:16:43 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Seneca Wallace considers throwing it to his first progression, running or dropping back another ten yards.

Browse more photos »

Overview: In his final season in Seattle, Mike Holmgren loosed his death grip on convention and let Seneca Wallace return punts. There was even talk of him playing wide receiver. Wallace rewarded Holmgren's boldness by injuring himself in pre-game warmups. He never returned a punt. He returned to start week seven in Tampa Bay. He started eight of the final 11 contests. It was his best season as a professional. He set career highs in completion percentage, adjusted net yards an attempt, sack percentage, interception percentage and DYAR. His interception rate was a sparkling 1.2%.

What went right: Three of Seattle's four wins were had with Wallace under center. He outperformed Matt Hasselbeck in most meaningful ways and validated his status as a top backup quarterback. For some, he established himself as a starter to be. He showed his normal arm strength. He improved his pocket awareness and poise, and turned some of that "weapon" talk into actual productive runs.

What went wrong: Wallace wasn't that different a quarterback than he's ever been. He did loopy things under pressure and made pressure of his own. Defenders would close on his target receiver clued by Wallace's unblinking eye. His read remains underdeveloped, though there's growth. Holmgren was running his nerfed playbook, and though his stats look superficially strong, Wallace was the leader of an anemic pass offense. Holmgren was cautious to a fault, and if Wallace didn't throw many interceptions, he didn't convert many long third downs either.

Outlook: Wallace's improved passing stats corresponded with a spike in yards after catch by his receivers. Of his 1,532 total passing yards, 49% or 755 yards were converted after the catch. Yards after catch correlate much more strongly to the receiver than the quarterback. As fans, we can give some heft to that statistic. We can give credit where credit is due on Leonard Weaver's 62 and 43 yard touchdown passes. Both were dump offs Weaver made gold. We can know Koren Robinson's 90 yard reception was a busted play by Philadelphia's defense, and an exception in an otherwise futile day for Wallace. We can see Wallace barely found Deion Branch in bounds before Branch reversed field for 63. All those yards are thrown into the statistical bucket, but Wallace will be hard pressed to relive any of them.

He continues to be among the league's best backup quarterbacks. In another circumstance, Wallace could have a short run as a serviceable starter. Maybe. Long a better athlete than quarterback, he could develop late in his career and still be something special. That's very unlikely. His low interception rate, strong quarterback rating and improved DYAR are more indicative of Holmgren's lack of trust than a fundamental improvement in Wallace's game. Wallace effectively executed Holmgren's nerfed playbook; Seattle passed for the fourth fewest yards in the NFL.

Fools Gold: Panning for NFL Draft Busts

briandean — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:00:11 -0000

NFL teams spend massive amounts of time and energy scouting the Draft. No expense is spared while trying to unearth hidden gems from college campuses across the country. So how can it be so difficult to see that big fat bust staring them right in the face? Let's take a stab at identifying some of those potential busts. I don't think all of these players will bust. In fact, I like some of them quite a bit, but they should be evaluated with caution. I'll try to keep it within the positions the 49ers are likely to be interested in on draft day.

Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: Crabtree had the biggest name and most hype of any prospect heading into the postseason, resulting in the #1 overall ranking on many boards. But there are a few things that don't add up. First of all, the offense he played in was a gimmicky spread system that hasn't produced any real NFL talent in the passing game despite lofty college numbers. If you're expecting Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin, the guys Crabtree is most often compared to, you might be dissapointed. His size, routes and ball skills are nowhere near where Fitzgerald was coming out. And he isn't the physical beast Boldin was. He's sort of a poor man's hybrid of those two guys.

That's not to say Crabtree isn't good, but guys like Mike Williams, Peter Warrick, Reggie Williams were held in high regard as underclassmen coming into the league and couldn't separate at the next level. Add his recent injury concerns and the potential lack of any workouts and you have a recipe for disaster. Heck, depending on how things shake out, he could actually become a steal. It would be hard not to pull the trigger if he fell to #10.

Andre Smith, OT, Alabama: There was talk Andre Smith could be in the mix for the #1 pick in the draft. The Combine squashed any of those thoughts. Smith is still a beast, but that won't overcome the major questions about his character and work ethic. Every one of these guys is supremely talented and most of them can be as good as they want to be. But you gotta want it. And that's one place the 49ers have been great at--adding high character players with a good work ethic. I'd be extremely surprised if Smith is even on McSing's draft board at this point--along with many other teams. Andre Smith could be in for a huge fall.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland: I never got the hype with DHB. He's fast--very fast. A 4.30 40 on a slow track at Indy is testament to that. To me, he's a one-trick pony whose value has always been tied to his straight-line speed. I worry about his change of direction and route running ability. I wouldn't touch him in the first round with a 40 yard pole. Former Vikings draft pick Troy Williamson and former 49er Ashley Lelie come to mind. The only saving grace for DHB would be that his offense at Maryland was less than desirable for a WR and may not have developed or showcased his talents. Compare his lack of lateral quickness and ability to break tackles to the Crabtree video above or this Hakeem Nicks reel.

Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss: Questions about Oher's intelligence and passion for the game have damped his hype as the top prospect as his position. Add that to the fact that scouts are questioning not only whether he can handle left side, but if he may end up a guard and Oher will probably find himself outside the top 10. That said, all he's done in his career is dominate opponents when he locks on. The definition of a "boom or bust" prospect.

Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State: Came out too early, plain and simple. You have to wonder about his character and maturity. This may be a case of a guy who is a legend in his own mind. I mean, he didn't even start at Penn State for a full season. He ran a poor 40 at the combine and could be in for a big fall ala Ko Simpson a few years ago who fell to the Buffalo Bills in the 4th after being touted as a 1st rounder. Another Sophomore Koren Robinson left school too soon and even though the talent was there, the team who drafted him never saw the results.

The Quarterbacks: I have to be honest, 1st round QBs scare the bejesus out of me. Is Matthew Stafford on par with the Mannings of the world as a #1 overall pick? Or is he (and his mediocre 57% completion rate at Georgia) just the highest ranked QB this year like Alex Smith was in 2005 and countless others who haven't lived up to the billing? Mark Sanchez has less film to watch than any potential 1st rounder I can remember. Josh Freeman is a case-study in how to waste a 1st round draft pick. Every mistake made at QB in the draft starts with a big kid and a rifle arm. Throwing a ball through the goal posts from the 50 yard line has nothing to do with playing NFL quarterback. The position is played from the neck up. Have I mentioned the lack of success for QBs who leave college early? How about the lack of success for QBs with a completion percentage under 60%? And the fast rising Pat White was so underrated he's become overrated. I've got no problem with White in the 3rd or later and developing him in a slash role. In fact, I thought that might be a little high when I put White there in my first mock draft. You can't deny his athletic ability, toughness, work ethic and ability to win. But it's looking now like White wont get out of the 2nd round as a pure QB. People are throwing away four years of film and judging him by how he threw one day in shorts--that's a mistake. Maybe the biggest factor with all these QBs entering the NFL is the time they have to make a decision and make a throw. Remember how easy it was torching the neighborhood kids in the backyard with your Nerf turbo when nobody was counting alligators?

Next time I'll take a look at prospects who are the safest bets in the upcoming draft. I'm interested to hear different takes on the guys I listed. Also, who redlines your bust-o-meter?

FOOCH'S NOTE: For new readers, a quick bio on briandean: He's the NFL Draft specialist here at Niners Nation. Brian currently works in sports talk radio and might be seen around the Bay Area at various indie rock hot spots--both on stage and at the bar. All you need to know about Brian is he once left his Community College baseball team to instead go on tour with his band. So he is both extremely dedicated and completely unreliable. In addition to his work at Niners Nation, Brian has worked as a freelance writer for KFFL.com, who you know for their "hot off the wire" content if you play Yahoo! fantasy sports.

Breaking down the Bengals wide receivers

Kirkendall — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:54:24 -0000

First and foremost, I wanted to do a "Flashback" story in mid-December 2007 that referenced a post by PFT.

A league source tells us that there is growing animosity in the Bengals locker room toward receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Per the source, both are yelling "all the time" at quarterback Carson Palmer, but coach Marvin Lewis doesn't say or do anything about it. Players are also upset that the two receivers are trying to "run the team."

The situation reminds us of the latter days of the Denny Green era in Minnesota, where receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss were berating quarterback Daunte Culpepper and operating under a separate set of rules.

Now, truth be told, nothing came of it. And one has to consider that PFT is partially rumor, partially truth, all based on sources that either written in newspapers or unnamed in PFT's circle. Still, when it happened, you had to admit that there's a possibility of truth; not easily tossed aside for blind denials. Both receivers are extremely emotional, and if the team, or one of the players, isn't doing what they believe should be done to win, then you had to consider this partially true. My reason for saying partially true is because it wasn't followed up, nor confirmed.

I wrote before the 2008 NFL Draft that "A scenario does exist that the Bengals could lose their their three best wide receivers that combined for 69 receiving touchdowns since 2005 -- 80% of Palmer's 86 passing touchdowns." This was when Henry was dealing with his last (or latest) legal issue, Chad Johnson during his campaign to get traded and T.J. Houshmandzadeh the final season of his contract.

Fast forward to now. We can adjust the presumption to commit that Henry will be with the Bengals in 2009, and there's a strong argument for Johnson returning, save for Drew Rosenhaus' manipulating letter-writing skills.

All things being known, we can preview the position to look like this before free agency in two weeks.

Chad Johnson
Chris Henry
Andre Caldwell
Jerome Simpson
Antonio Chatman
Mario Urrutia
Maurice Purify

Glenn Holt is a restricted free agent, and until he's signed, you have to consider that the Bengals may not offer him a deal.

It's not the most experienced list, and there's noise that's both legit and very loud about Jerome Simpson's potential based on anti-Mike Brown arguments. Henry has the physical attributes to be a hellva receiver, but not the mental fortitude to even be the team's number two. Andre Caldwell seems likely to be the team's best option in the slot and Antonio Chatman, when (lack of) durability isn't sucking his playing time dry, has shown to be effective enough to warrant playing time. Urrutia and Purify were on the team's practice squad in 2008 and it has to be assumed, without including the unexpected, that they won't break into the 53-man roster.

In truth, it's a weaker roster without Houshmandzadeh -- that much is way too obvious. However, there's also unknowns with several guys that could surprise us in 2009. The truth of the matter is, this is the wide receiver group heading into next season.

Considering the Bengals could go after a wide receiver in the draft (not the first two rounds for sure based on deeper needs), or after free agents with a list that includes:

Bryant	Antonio	Buccaneers	UFA
Clayton	Michael	Buccaneers	UFA
Colbert	Keary	Lions	UFA
Copper	Terrance	Ravens	UFA
Engram	Bobby	Seahawks	UFA
Gaffney	Jabar	Patriots	UFA
Hall	Dante	Rams	UFA
Hankton	Cortez	Buccaneers	UFA
Henderson	Devery	Saints	UFA
Houshmandzadeh	T.J.	Bengals	UFA
Jackson	Darrell	Broncos	UFA
Jenkins	Justin	Bills	UFA
Johnson	Bryant	49ers	UFA
Jones	Brandon	Titans	UFA
Lloyd	Brandon	Bears	UFA
Looker	Dane	Rams	UFA
McCareins	Justin	Titans	UFA
McDonald	Shaun	Lions	UFA
Morant	Johnnie	Raiders	UFA
Robinson	Koren	Seahawks	UFA
Roby	Courtney	Saints	UFA
Shepherd	Edell	Broncos	UFA
Toomer	Amani	Giants	UFA
Washington	Nate	Steelers	UFA
Williams	Reggie	Jaguars	UFA
Anderson	David	Texans	RFA
Austin	Miles	Cowboys	RFA
Baskett	Hank	Eagles	RFA
Bodiford	Shaun	Packers	RFA
Floyd	Malcom	Chargers	RFA
Holt	Glenn	Bengals	RFA
Hurd	Sam	Cowboys	RFA
Moore	Lance	Saints	RFA
Webb	Jeff	Chiefs	RFA
Wright	Wallace	Jets	RFA

Are you comfortable with our roster of wide receivers as it is with a few gaps to fill? Should the Bengals address the position in the draft or free agency or both?

Screw the Bears, Screw the Packers. . .and Pass My Freaking Kool-Aid

Gonzo — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:05:00 -0000

Yes, after two or three showers and a seemingly endless series of Disney movies, I feel that I've finally cleansed myself of the fact that I wasted three hours of my life last night hoping that a team completely devoid of talent, coaching, heart, guts, or pride could give us a hand by knocking off the Chicago Bears.

Trust me. . .it will never happen again. And I trust that all of you will join me in that.

So, after last night's game, I was a bit on the dejected side. Not entirely pleased with the way things had gone, obviously, because this now suddenly feels like an all too familiar situation for those of us that have followed the Vikings for any length of time. Then I turned on ESPN. . .yes, I know, I should have known better. . .and got to listen to Trent Dilfer, in all his infinite wisdom, declare the Vikings to be "done." In doing so, he cited the Vikings' "recent history."

Well, in looking at "recent history," maybe Mr. Dilfer should have taken a glimpse at our "recent history" against the New York Football Giants.

The Vikings have played the Giants in two of the past three seasons, once in 2005 and once in 2007. Both of those games were played at the Meadowlands rather than in the comfy confines of the Metrodome. The Vikings won both of those games. . .the 2005 game was a bit of a fluke, as the Vikings won 24-21 by returning a kickoff (Koren Robinson), a punt (Mewelde Moore), and an interception (Darren Sharper) for touchdowns. In 2007, the 4-6 Vikings. . .who didn't have Bernard Berrian or Jared Allen on the team, and had Adrian Peterson on the sidelines nursing his knee injury. . .rolled into the Meadowlands to take on the 7-3 Giants. . .

-With Michael Strahan (who definitely won't play Sunday)
-With Osi Umenyiora (who definitely won't play Sunday)
-With a healthy Justin Tuck (who likely won't play Sunday)
-With a healthy Fred Robbins (who likely won't play Sunday)
-With Plaxico Burress (who definitely won't play Sunday)
-With Jeremy Shockey (who will play Sunday. . .but not for the Giants)
-With a heck of a lot more to play for than they have right now

And the Vikings throttled them to the tune of 41-17. Tarvaris Jackson hit Sidney Rice with a 60-yard touchdown bomb on the second play of the game, and Minnesota never looked back.

Giants' quarterback Eli Manning has had two games in his career where he's thrown four interceptions in a game. Anyone care to take a stab at which team both of those games came against? Well, if you're a Viking fan, you already know that both of those games for Eli came against the Beloved Purple in the two games mentioned above. In his two career games against Minnesota. . .and, again, keep in mind that these were both Giants home games. . .Manning has completed 44 passes in 97 attempts (a 45.3% completion rate), thrown for 564 yards, and has thrown 2 TD passes against 8 interceptions, giving him an overall QB rating of a robust 36.6. And it's not as if the Vikings' pass defense or their pass rush was particularly good in either of those years. . .Eli was just sort of flinging the ball towards anything in a white jersey. I'm not sure what Leslie Frazier did in last year's game to unsettle Manning the way that he did, but I think he can come up with something to rattle him again this time around, too.

I'm not sure who Tom Coughlin is going to be resting on Sunday afternoon. . .I'm pretty sure that Tuck, Robbins, WR Domenik Hixon, and RB Brandon Jacobs won't be seeing much (if any) time for the Giants. . .but as for the rest of the Giants, you know what?

Bring them on. Bring them ALL on.

We shouldn't be wanting our playoff hopes to hinge on who the Giants are or aren't going to be playing, or if airport security in Houston will find and remove the horseshoes that are currently jammed in the rear ends of every member of the Chicago Bears. No, if this team wants to make the playoffs, then they should go out there knowing that they have everything to play for against a team that has nothing to play for, and they should win the damn football game.

And, as crazy as it sounds, and as much as we Viking fans aren't used to this sort of thing. . .I think that's what they're going to do.

Do the Healthy Seahawks Still Pose a Threat to the Arizona Cardinals?

cgolden — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:22:16 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals have had their way with the NFC West so far this season but they could facing the Seattle Seahawks at the worst possible time. So far this season the Hawks have had to start their #2 and #3 quarterback due to injuries and they've had to shuffle their receiving corps just to get enough healthy guys on the field. The injuries and overall poor play have led to a 2-7 record for the Seahawks, with both their wins coming against similar 2-7 teams. The Hawks might finally look like the team that broke camp this week when Matt Hasselbeck and Deion Branch return to the field. Will their probable return be enough to beat the Cardinals?

Seattle Seahawks - Game Averages

	Pts	Yrds	Pass	Rush
Off	18.9	255.5 (30th)	141.3 (31st)	114.3 (13th)
Def	26.2	373.5 (27th-T)	258.0 (31st)	115.5 (22nd)

Offense: The Hawks have been able to move the ball on the ground surprisingly well considering the struggles they've had in the passing game. They rank 13th in the league in rushing yards per game but they should be even better with the return of their starting quarterback. Julius Jones was averaging 93 yards per game for the first four games but since Hasselbeck went down, Jones has managed just 45 yards per game. The real boost for the offense though will having a real quarterback to throw the ball. Seneca Wallace and Charlie Frye struggled through five games completing just over 52% of their passes for 150 yards per game. Hasselbeck wasn't much better in the first four games but he's healthy now and will have his best receiver back on the field. Deion Branch has only played in one game this year but he's an upgrade over Bobby Engram, Courtney Talyor and Koren Robinson
(current starters). The pass catcher that the Cardinals should reallly worry about though is rookie tight end John Carlson. He's the Hawks leading receiver despite missing a game earlier in the year. He's not a 'stretch the field' tight end but he does have a knack for getting open and making tough catches. The Cardinals have struggled against tight ends this season (ranking 25th) and it'll likely be up to Adrian Wilson and Karlos Dansby to keep Carlson from having a big game. Another big key for the Cardinals will be putting pressure on Hasselbeck. It'll be his first playing time in a month and making him move in the pocket will be huge.

Defense: The Seattle defense has been surprisingly bad this year but they haven't had the same excuses as the offense. They've been relatively healthy, outside of Patrick Kerney, but they're allowing 50 more yards than last season (321.8 to 373.5) and allowing seven points more per game (18.2 to 26.2). The big falloff for the defense has been in the secondary where they went from middle of the road last year to bottom of the barrel this year. That's pretty surprising considering the personnel in the secondary hasn't changed at all. Much of the blame for the secondary has been placed on their future head coach, Jim Mora Jr. The Hawks are still pretty good at getting to the quarterback though, ranking 8th, but they'll certainly miss Patrick Kerney, who's already been ruled out. If the Seahawks can't put pressure on Warner it could be a long day for the secondary and this defense as a whole. If KW can get the passing game going early, this is the type of game that Tim Hightower could also get rolling.

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We'll certainly keep a close eye on the injury reports over the next couple of days but assuming that Hasselbeck and Branch play, do the Seahawks pose a legit threat? Can the Seahawks secondary slow down the Cardinals' passing game?