SB Nation - David Kirtman

Seattle Seahawks Starters and Reserves for Saturday's Game Against San Diego

John Morgan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:22:09 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

William Robinson, center, hopes to be the next Kyle Williams, left. Williams hopes to be the next Donald Penn. Sean Locklear hopes an echo Sean Locklear hasn't seduced his mother and erased him from existence.

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With much of training camp accounted for, it's time we turn our attention to the preseason. The preseason is as rich as the knowledge of the fan watching it. The first thing to watch is who starts and how long they start. Below is a projection. One-series does not mean literally one series, but only a reasonable minimum depending on the coach's preferences. I know that Mike Holmgren would sometimes pull vulnerable players if the team wasn't playing well. Other coaches might play them more.

One-series Starters

Matt Hasselbeck: Seattle wants Hasselbeck to orchestrate the offense in a game situation and then retire to Dick Cheney's private bomb shelter.
Chris Spencer: Seattle needs Spencer to get game experience in its new system, but however minor his ankle injury, expect him to be protected.
Deion Branch: Too valuable and too injury prone to risk too many snaps.
Patrick Kerney: Seattle might not start him at all, but I think it will risk a series to get him game action.
Lofa Tatupu: If training camp is any indication, Tatupu isn't just the quarterback of the defense, he's getting quarterback treatment, too.

Most of the starters will play for most of or all of the first half. There's not a lot to say about some, but a few involve interesting angles.

Aaron Curry: Curry should start and play through the half at strongside linebacker.
Kelly Jennings: Marcus Trufant's injury has been the best thing to happen to Jennings professionally since lucking onto the most talented secondary in Hurricanes' history. Jennings is frustrating, but the team is committed to Josh Wilson at nickelback and doesn't see Kevin Hobbs as a starter. So Jennings is primary depth at starting cornerback. He's still going to need to show something to stick.
Cory Redding: Redding is returning from what murmurs suggest is a very serious knee injury. He hasn't looked or been especially limited, and so a strong showing throughout the preseason could help put doubts behind him.
Owen Schmitt: If he starts. Quietly, Justin Griffith has reasserted himself. Or, maybe, Schmitt just hasn't gotten up to speed as quickly as Knapp would like.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Housh doesn't seem the type you protect, but he's very expensive and may not need the snaps.
Nate Burleson: Coming off injury, Seattle might err on the side of caution.
T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones: Should play through the first half, but how many snaps each player receives and in what situations should be interesting.

The second half is the more provocative. It's when players play for their jobs and draft fans see the guys they've read so much about. It's also a telling indication of a player's position on the depth chart. Watch for these players and positions in the second half.

Quarterback: Seneca Wallace will get most of the snaps, but see if Mike Teel or Jeff Rowe get a series. It would be nice to see Teel even if he struggles.
Strong safety: The team could just play C.J. Wallace and not shake things up, but with Courtney Greene practicing well and Jamar Adams being the best talent and entering his second season with the team, both deserve some snaps to show off their ability.
Kevin Hobbs: Kid might want to share his talents with the rest of us, because I've read his name for so long without actually seeing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he had eyestalks and tentacles.
Justin Forsett: Short story: Had a good game once. Was cut. Might have a good game again.
Max Unger: Unger has been quiet at practice, but it's in the game where his skills should show.
Red Bryant: It's time Bryant stops toying around with second-stringers and dominates.
Will Herring: Herring is moving up the pecking order. He offers a skill-set unlike any of Seattle's other linebackers. I am curious not just how much Herring is used, but how Herring is used.
Kyle Williams: Capable depth or liability yet to be actualized?
Right tackle: Ray Willis might be in for only a series at right tackle, and that means someone is going to get a lot of snaps in his place. Actually, two players are likely to play extensively. Watch Andre Ramsey and Na'Shan Goddard and have a list of available free agents handy.
Travis Fisher: Where he plays, how much he plays and how well he plays interest me. I want Seattle to retain this guy, but he's currently on the outside looking in.
Wide receiver second wave: This is what everyone else will be talking about. And, heck, it will make for an interesting and hotly contested battle.

The final list is players that I am interested in seeing if they play at all. This is the fringe.

*Fun fact. No one is quite sure if it's Tereshinski or Tereshinksi.

The Top Ten Storylines for the Seattle Seahawks 2009 Training Camp and Preseason

John Morgan — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:00:52 -0000

More photos » by Jim Bryant - AP

Owen Schmitt excelled as a lead blocker during the 2008 preseason and is now the Seahawks starting fullback. Who will standout this preseason and play their way into Seattle's future?

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It's an exciting time. Training camp starts tomorrow. Tomorrow. In a month I get to make a run at a dream by doing this full time. That means no light days. More time to do what I want to do and less dropped ideas. Before then there's a lot left for me to accomplish. Until the season starts there's lots to talk about. I love the preseason. If you're a draft addict and follow the talent, there's just no other time to see late-round guys like Michael Hamlin and Cedric Peerman fight for their jobs. The second half of a preseason game may be the most purely competitive football ever played, because it's played between guys guaranteed nothing and with everything to gain.

I focus more on preseason games than training camp itself. Camp is important, but there's less insight and drama than is drummed up. Most positions are not open, even if they are reported as. The roster is not volatile. Players the team has invested in are more likely to make the team, and few if any surprise talents will stick. But the games themselves show us a lot. Last season, Owen Schmitt defiled defenders in threes. This season he is Seattle's starting fullback. Two seasons ago, Brandon Mebane was a bull among cows. That same season, he helped transform Seattle's run defense.

So with an eye to the games and an ear to the wires, here's Seattle's top ten storylines entering training camp.

10. Is Jon Ryan uncontested at punter?

Ryan isn't very good, but Seattle hasn't yet signed any competition. It will be interesting to see if this position is settled or just further down the priorities list.

9. What part-time Hawks are nearing the chopping block?

Players like linebacker Lance Laury, defensive tackle Brandon Miller, fullback David Kirtman, center Steve Vallos, tight end Joe Newton, cornerbacks Marquis Floyd, Kevin Hobbs and Kelly Jennings, and wide receivers Jordan Kent, Ben Obomanu, Logan Payne, Courtney Taylor are roster staples, but some won't make this year's cut. It will be interesting to see who survives, who is replaced and who replaces them.

8. The seventh rounders and non-drafted free agents

Seattle drafted safety Courtney Greene, defensive end Nick Reed and tight end Cameron Morrah in the seventh round of the NFL draft. All are likely to stick if only on the practice squad. Greene has a good shot at making the roster as a special teams contributor. Reed could stick if he dominates or the team sees a need for situational pass rush. Morrah has a chance to overtake Joe Newton and should he, Morrah will make the final 53 and Newton will be released.

Seattle's rookie free agent signings are in some ways even more interesting than their seventh round picks. Devin Moore is fast, but slight and not so productive at Wyoming to be very exciting. But speed is speed, and elite speed like Moore's demands attention. Michael Bennett, like his namesake, burner back and current Charger, Michael Bennett, is all potential and little production. The Seahawks will figure out quickly if he can be molded into a professional athlete. That's intriguing, because his upside is good, but he's also capable of earning a premature cut. Center David Washington and linebacker Dave Philistin are players with a little bit of talent, a little bit of polish and a long road to the pros.

7. Now that Ruskell is on record confirming Seattle will carry one kicker...

Who wins? Brandon Coutu better show a lot more on kickoffs this preseason or Seattle should do the right thing and cut him.

6. How does Brandon Mebane adjust to the three-tech?

Mebane was a beast at right defensive tackle. There he played mostly one-tech, but sometimes shifted to rush the passer. This season, that former situational job is now his only job. How he acclimates to it is HUGE. If Mebane falls back into his natural role and doesn't just hold his ability but improves, Seattle is another big step to creating a great young defense. If he proves the transition to the one-tech was the right move, and that his stoutness supersedes his disruptive ability, Seattle's rush defense is going to have two big bites taken out of its middle.

5. Mike Teel

Mike Teel doesn't have to be great, but one thing I've taken from various research this offseason is that good players often prove themselves to be good players early in their careers. Teel should look like an NFL-capable quarterback. He cannot display Alex Smith's infinity backpedal, David Carr's check-down fixation, Rex Grossman's one-use trebuchet or Ryan Leaf's cocktail-napkin playbook. He must fail like a pro. Missing completions on the right read. Taking sacks in the pocket. Throwing interceptions after multiple reads. Because it's been a long time since Seattle had a third string quarterback worth investing hope in and I would love Mike Teel to be that player.

4. Can Jordan Babineaux overtake Brian Russell?

Hot down the news wire, Mike Sando offers a little hope to long suffering Field Gulls readers. Jordan Babineaux will challenge Brian Russell for the starting free safety position. Babineaux is a read and react zone defender that struggles to keep the play in front of him. He struggled as a nickel corner in 2007 and didn't so much improve in 2008 as have less responsibility. In a more structured role, say in a cover-2 where he starts deep and keeps the play in front of him by default, he's faster than Russell, more agile than Russell, more athletic than Russell, stronger than Russell, a better tackler than Russell and has better ball skills than Russell. See if he can lay off the play-action, and if he can, he has a legitimate chance to overtake Russell and improve the free safety position so much you'd think Seattle signed Laron Landry.

3. Aaron Curry, Max Unger and Deon Butler

No explanation needed. How they play and how much they play is one of the biggest stories of the preseason. Anything less than gaudy, spectacular dominance from Aaron Curry will be a disappointment.

2. The new playbooks

It's our first look at Greg Knapp's new offense. What's his play selection? Their sequencing? His formations? Their spacing? His situational strategy? His personnel on third down? And how does it compare to his most recent work with the Oakland Raiders?

It's also our first look at Jim Mora and Gus Bradley's defense. What formations will counter what plays? Where will the pass rush come from? What is the balance between zone and man coverage? What are the substitution patterns? How often will nickel and dime defenses be employed? What will Seattle do to improve its third down defense?

1. Health.

Recent Draft History: Seattle Seahawks

Jeremy Bolander — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:00:10 -0000

2008 Draft:

1 (28) Lawrence Jackson, DE STARTER

Well, maybe not a for sure starter, but he did start 14 games for the Hawks, starting nine at one end before being benched and subsequently coming back in and starting five more as an injury replacement at the other end. If Jackson could be said to have a problem, it would be that he can't seem to generate any rush yet, though he flashes some tremendous explosiveness, and thus isn't starter quality material. On the other hand, he is progressing nicely, which is standard issue for even the really good Dlinemen. He certainly won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

2 (38) John Carlson, TE STARTER

As a rotational and package starter on the end of hte line, Carlson has impressed. Probably the best pick of the 2008 draft for Seattle, he was also the highest rated TE. Seattle had to trade their third rounder to move up and get him, but knowing they needed help at tackle, with none available in the draft, they did the next best thing in picking up an end blocker (who works hard at getting better) and quick outlet for the QB.

4 (121) Red Bryant, DT Backup

Bryant's less than stellar college career followed him to Seattle where injuries sidelined him too often. Seattle looks to be trying to establish some depth in the rotation, despite losing linemate Rocky Bernard, and the worry is that any depth added could potentially bury Bryant amongst the backups for good.

5 (163), Owen Schmitt, FB Backup

Seattle refused to throw Schmitt into the mess that was 2008, probably because his pass blocking wasn't yet significantly better than Leonard Weaver's. That won't be an option in 2009, and Seattle needs to findout whether the top rated blocking FB in the draft has what it takes to start.

6 (189) Tyler Schmitt, LS Backup

When a guy is drafted specifically to be a longsnapper, even if it is with a 6th round pick, it is a serious blow when they can't contribute. After going to IR before the season, Schmitt didn't miss out on much, and his stock isn't likely hurt in Seattle.

7 (223) Justin Forsett, RB Backup

Another player with a lot of potential who was never given a chance to do anything in 2008. With the 'hawks moving to a likely committee system int eh backfield, there is a good chance that 2009 could be Forsett's chance to get a lot of carries.

7 (235) Brandon Coutu, K Backup

The more of Ruskell's drafts I analyze, the less I understand what he is trying to accomplish. Coutu wasn't able to win the starting job as a rookie, yet was retained on a roster that was decimated with injuries. It is likely he goes into 2010 trying to win the starting job again, but I have to wonder what happens if he once again isn't up to tthe task... Do they give him a raise?

2007 Draft:

2 (55) Josh Wilson, CB STARTER

Wilson has been a solid player, and continues to get better every year. His next couple of years represent a sort of watershed for him: if he can earn recognition as a #1 caliber corner and supplant the aging Trufant as the go-to guy, he'll be set. But if he can't overtake Trufant, he may find himself labelled a #2 or nickel corner for life.

2 (38) Brandon Mebane, DT STARTER

Mebane may be the key to the Seattle defense, eating up blocks in the middle and making his LBs look like aces (not that they aren't) and helping whoever lines up at over-tackle look like a stud. He has a bright future in Seattle, even if he never gets the recognition he deserves.

4 (120) Baraka Atkins, DE Backup

Atkins has been kind of a slow-starter, but the feeling is that he is now starting to come on, and could be pushing for starting time going forward. It is importnat for Seattle to be able to go to the well when it comes to their DEs right now, so Atkins' development couldn't come at a better time.

4 (124) Mansfield Wrotto, G STARTER

In a season where the Oline devestation was truly epic, Wrotto showed that he could have staying power. He stereotypes to easily as a "moose": that is, he doesn't always seem to understand what is going on around him, but he has the strength and power to flatten guys out. If he can develop his mean-streak, he could be a force to reckon with.

5 (161) Will herring, LB Backup

Herring spent the season watching from the bench, but may be called upon in 2009. The seahawks have been consistent in tehir methods to keep him around, so they see some potential.

6 (197) Courtney Taylor, WR Backup

Taylor has developed into a legitimate special teams force on coverage teams, but his inconsistency at the WR position could be spelling his early NFL demise. He needs to work on being a better pass catcher, work on catching balls outside of his frame, and just generally working harder, or no QB will ever trust him. He has flashed his potential, but he needs to deliver consistently.

6 (210) Jordan Kent, WR Backup

Despite getting a lot of opportunities in Seattle's decimated WR corp in 2008, he simply didn't look good enough to warrant increased playing time with the new WR corp falling into place. Probably on his way out.

7 (232) Steve Vallos, C

Like Kent, Vallos is a player that didn't show enough upside to guarantee any sort of long term staying power. Another player who is probably better off not in the plans.

2006 Draft:

1 (31) Kelly Jennings, CB STARTER

Jennings still has a lot of learning to do, and he could start by trying to inject a little physicality to his game. At his size he may end up pigeonholed as a pure cover corner, and that could leave Seattle with no true number one guy when Trufant decides to move on.

2 (63) Darryl Tapp, DE STARTER

Mostly a rotational starter, Tapp may have maxed out his potential. He will likely make a solid rotational guy/backup for years to come, but if Seattle asks him to do doo much, chances are he won't be able to deliver.

4 (128) Rob Sims, G STARTER

Sims is no doubt starter quality on Seattle's current line incarnation, but as part of the wounded group in last season's MASH parody, he may find that the extra year of development was what he needed to push him over the top and keep his spot. As is, he will be in competition for it for the near future.

5 (163) David Kirtman, FB Out of NFL

After not really making any noise in camp, Kirtman was finally released in 2008 and spent time on the Chargers and 49ers practice squad. The Saints were looking at him for a practice squad contract, but no word on whether they made the offer.

7 (239) Ryan Plackemeier, P Backup/Cincinnati

Plackemeier was released in late 2008 after having no impact for the seahawks. The redskins temporarily picked him up before waiving him, and he eventually landed with Cincinnati.

7 (249) Ben Obomanu, WR Backup

Not a lot of talent or work ethic here, and it really shows. He is buried on a depth chart that just keeps getting deeper, and he has very shaky footing.

49ers sign TE Sean Ryan; Waive FB David Kirtman

Fooch — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:10:00 -0000

The 49ers just announced that they've signed tight end Sean Ryan, formerly of the Miami Dolphins. Ryan (6-5, 260) was originally a fifth-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys out of Boston College in 2004. He spent his first two NFL season in 2004 and 2005 alternating between the Dallas practice squad and 53-man roster and then was traded by Dallas to the New York Jets in August of 2006. After two seasons with the Jets, Ryan signed with Miami in the 2008 offseason. He made the Dolphins 53-man roster after training camp and saw action in the season-opener before being cut. He signed with New Orleans for one game later in September before being waived. He has played in 37 career games with six starts and has caught 11 passes for 97 yards.

Kirtman was originally signed by the 49ers to replace Zak Keasey when he went on injured reserve.

I'm curious how this will affect the playing time of Delanie Walker. Walker has been getting time at fullback so maybe they envision using him in a fullback/H-back type of role, something the Redskins do with Chris Cooley. Also, Walker injured his elbow last week so it's possible the injury is a little more serious and requires some additional rest. Maiocco stated that Ryan would likely see more time on special teams and possible in that h-back/blocking back role.