SB Nation - Sean Locklear

Seattle Seahawks Sleep through First Possession; Forfeit Game

John Morgan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:34:35 -0000

Marcus Trufant blew coverage and Jordan Babineaux took a bad angle of pursuit, but Andre Johnson scored because Gary Kubiak saw a tendency in Seattle's coverage and exploited it to game-winning effect.

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I am profiling Aaron Curry this week, but between Curry posts, I want to talk a bit about the Seahawks in general. Seattle allowed a touchdown on the first play of the game. The Texans quick-snapped Seattle and Andre Johnson burned Marcus Trufant up the right sideline for an easy score. The quick snap made the play. Johnson was able to get around and past Trufant off the snap, and though Trufant didn't lose ground chasing Johnson, it didn't matter because he was already beat. Jordan Babineaux should have adjusted his angle to intercept Johnson, but even if he could have, the damage was mostly done. The Texans out game planned Seattle and left the Seahawks defensive brain trust looking like a big bag of DeHaven.

Seattle, continuing a season long trend, played awful football in the first set of possessions. Before he burned Trufant, Johnson pointed up and out, indicating "streak" to Matt Schaub. The Texans exploited a simple wrinkle to storm out to an early and pivotal lead*.

The Seahawks countered with no plan at all. Sean Locklear stood, protecting uncontested space as two defenders streaked off left end. Brian Cushing smashed Matt Hasselbeck before he could set. Moments like this inspire a "what the fuck?" reaction from fans. Beyond play calling, challenges and clock management, we most tangibly perceive the impact of coaches in the precision or sloppiness of the team. Seattle was playing rec football against a professional team. Whether Locklear was standing clueless because of poor discipline, poor coaching, zone blocking or a basic inability by the Seahawks to read and adjust to blitzes, the coaches, and especially Greg Knapp, own this failure.

Ray Willis jumped on second and pushed Seattle back five yards.

The next snap reached Hasselbeck cleanly, but he couldn't control the football, and, attempting to swing his body and hand off from his fingertips, he dropped the precariously held football. I watched that snap several times, and nothing looked abnormal until it reached Hasselbeck. That play set Seattle back another two yards. Seattle was lucky to recover it at all.

Seattle punted on third down. Excuse me, it ran a draw to Justin Forsett for seven. Seattle punted on fourth down. It gave up on third down.

If you are curious what that looks like in terms of win probability, behold:

Seattle's coaches, through the sheer force of their lack of preparation, schemes (like zone blocking), lack of discipline and conservative play calling on third down, had reduced Seattle's chances of winning to 23%. If someone wants to tell you that Seattle is not talented and couldn't have hoped to compete with Houston, go ahead and show them this graph. Seattle's talent must of been in the John when God was handing out coaches. This wasn't Curry being dirty, or Spencer being a simp, this was a team with a plan exploiting a team without a clue.

Jim Mora promised to take the next two days to scrutinize the offensive line. Well, Mr. Mora, I will take the next five days to scrutinize you. We might need to make some changes.

*Johnson said this about the touchdown: "Coming into the game we knew that their cornerbacks like to sit on routes," Johnson said. "So we were hoping that they would give us the coverage we were looking for, and they did."

Given Seattle's quarterback situation and that the Texans were playing at home, the impact of falling behind by a touchdown is actually underestimated by win probability. After two minutes of elapsed game clock, Seattle had almost already lost the game.

Sean Locklear Survives the First Quarter

John Morgan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:59:00 -0000

You all hankering for some Sean Locklear love? Didn't think so. Locklear did not have a very good first quarter. He wasn't moving well and was routinely overpowered by Calais Campbell. Campbell is enjoying a sophomore surge, so I do not discount the level of competition, but routinely beat is no way to play left tackle.

Locklear looked a touch gimpy to me. The significance of the contest might have forced him into action a week too early. He'll face an elite competitor next week. Jared Allen could expose a never nude. Locklear does not need to beat Allen to be good, but he does need to stand toe-to-toe against his divisional foes.

My notes start when Fox deigned to switch from its morning publicity stunt to an actual contest: Seattle's second offensive drive. Lock started with an okay mirror slide. He was slow shading blitzing linebackers but compensated by grounding them at their turn point. He was able to pancake the Cardinals linebackers with ease, but only after they pressured the edge.

Lock was at his best run blocking. He showed good power and ability to stand up and redirect his man. He also moved well enough if slower than usual. His greatness weakness was handling Campbell's inside move. Locklear was twice beat to his inside shoulder.

Overall, in twelve snaps, I have Locklear down for: Three failed blocks, two good jumps off the snap, two knock down blocks, one turn, one missed assignment, one great cut block and a handful of mixed plays.

Seattle Seahawks Wither; Fall 31 - 20 to the Arizona Cardinals

John Morgan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:25:25 -0000

by Matt York - AP

Greg Knapp achieved offense with surprise.

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This was an heroic effort and exciting football. Arizona is pretty good this year. Standing at 6-3, the Cardinals should surpass ten wins. Seattle tore out to an early lead, but the defense crumbled against a sustained Arizona attack. Seattle was beat because it was the inferior football team. The Cards had thirteen meaningful drives and averaged 35.8 yards a drive.

There's a lot of game balls to give out, but first let's discuss some of Seattle's weaknesses. Sean Locklear looked a bit gimpy between snaps, so perhaps he is not fully healed. However Locklear is chipping away at his chance to stick at left tackle. Seattle faces an interesting dilemma with Lock. He could be a great right tackle in Greg Knapp's system, but even without the left tackle incentives, he is expensive for a right tackle. Seattle owns a fabulously cheap offensive line, so perhaps it could afford to pay Locklear well at right tackle.

Matt Hasselbeck had a hard game. Heroic is a great way to describe his play. A hero is someone that gets other people killed. Joss Whedon did not envision Hasselbeck's high pass to Deon Butler, but I did upon quoting him. There are many things Hasselbeck still does well. To build a good to elite offense around him, something Seattle would need to do to have a realistic chance at winning the Super Bowl, would require a massive investment. A more massive investment. Seattle has already sunk much of its cap into Beck, Walter Jones, Deion Branch and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Objectivist is wonderfully free of Kyle Orton moments. Because Matt Hasselbeck can consistently make the right read and throw with accuracy, he can make an offense out of check downs. But it's a shit offense. And the second his reads are wrong or his accuracy flutters, it completely breaks down.

Seattle had very little chance to recover when it lost the lead. It does not have what Arizona has: A repeatable ability to gain big chunks of yards in one play. But it shouldn't have lost the lead. Seattle did exactly what it needed to: punch the Cardinals in the mouth early and force Warner to consistently face thick zones. The defense did not crumble because any one player played poorly, but because now it does not have a single great pass rusher. The defense Seattle wants to run needs someone to make Brandon Mebane's almost-snaply pistoning into the backfield and crushing the front of the pocket matter. It needs someone to keep the tight end away from Darryl Tapp. It needs a better edge rusher than Aaron Curry. It lacks that and it failed to sack Warner once.

Game Balls:

Justin Forsett: Kid showed up and declared his an NFL player. Force showed quick feet in his cuts, power in the hole and the less recognized ability to run under tackles and through smaller holes. I don't believe in a feature back. So I am not calling for Forsett to get the majority of the carries, but he is no longer a specialty back. Force is a first and ten, I-formation back.

ME!BANE!: Said. Done. Master of the midway.

Darryl Tapp: Tapp is hybrid end-linebacker. His ability against the run is that of a linebacker, but he's a pure edge-rushing defensive end. Keep this guy and enjoy how he ages.

Josh Wilson: Who would think Wilson would look like the best cover corner Seattle had today? Pistol isn't too good at that, actually, but small samples may contain outliers. He needs to be facing the quarterback to be his best and the game plan to man up the Cardinals defenders and hope they can buy the pass rush time stopped working in the second. Wilson recovered well, showed some man ability and kept overall his guy close, boosting his campaign for starting right corner. He wasn't great, but he was good at something he doesn't do and against the league's best wide receiver corps.

Greg Knapp: It took some balls to swallow your assumptions and let Forsett run real runs. He also called a very nice game. Early, Seattle attacked with a suddenly successful rush game, and punctuated their Two-Headed Freak with a mid-range aerial assault. He saved the screens for desperation time in the fourth. It's hard planning around an injury wracked quarterback with fading arm strength that plays behind a piecemeal line, but Knapp squeezes production out of this offense with a mix of good timing and good play calling.

That's it folks. Seattle is no longer in the hunt to win the division. If it keeps up this intensity, it will enter the Wild Card chase, but only in a fanboy sense. Field Gulls is switching gears again. Like last year, the tape review will now focus on players key to Seattle's future. This week: Sean Locklear at left tackle and Brandon Mebane at the three.

Seattle Seahawks Agonizing in Victory; Win on Stafford's Five Interceptions

John Morgan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:05:04 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Deon Grant and the defense benefited from five Matthew Stafford interceptions to lead Seattle back after going down 17 in the first.

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Seattle won. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't exciting and the Seahawks never looked like a playoff team, but halfway through its season, Seattle is a game away from last year's win total. These are the slow steps to rebuilding. Seattle started behind by 17, but gutted out a win against a team it could have stomped. It's not satisfying but it's something.

The offensive line is still disorganized and Seattle's run game is a liability. This line needs practice together. The organization needs to thoroughly scrutinize its line talent. Much of it may not return next year. I doubt Seattle re-signs Damion McIntosh. Ray Willis is cheap enough to stick at depth, but does not fit Greg Knapp's system. Sean Locklear will likely stick. Max Unger is a Seahawks. The rest of Seattle's linemen better pick it up in the final eight. Some, like Mansfield Wrotto, may not make it through the season.

It is possible that Tim Ruskell has been shy about drafting talent on offense because he didn't know what offense to draft talent for. Whatever the explanation, Seattle is not renovating, it's building a new offense. What it can salvage from this year's unit is like recycled mortar from the Kingdome.

The defense is built. Seattle will cash in when the pick is right. It needs a young athletic defensive end. It could use another disruptive defensive tackle, but should entertain re-signing Cory Redding. There's holes to patch. The talent must develop for it to be great. This defense is young and talented and capable of looking elite if paired with a great offense.

That might take a while. Seahawks fan must be brave, because the tables will be flipped soon enough. Matthew Stafford is a 21-year old rookie playing for a team that finished 0-16 last season. If he pulls it together someday, these trials will make his fans love him. Seattle will get its Stafford soon enough. Matt Hasselbeck played fierce and his effort helped lead Seattle back, but scraping for yards against a bad defense is not some miracle turnaround or rebirth for the Seahawks offense.

It took 51 attempts to get 329 yards. 17 passes were to his backs or fullbacks. Hasselbeck played like the aging game manager I think he now is. Seattle won around him, but mostly because of Stafford's five interceptions (worth 225 or 300 yards* depending on your interpretation). It didn't win because of him. Hasselbeck dinked and dunked against the 30^th ranked pass defense. He stared at his wide receivers like there wasn't a throw he could make. Hasselbeck checked down like he was facing a gifted young secondary. He was facing Kevin Hobbs.

(*Corrected from 350)

Today wasn't fun but it was a win. Remaking this offense will be a struggle, but it can't be pushed back anymore. The defense is starting to click. The Seahawks are branching two directions. The team is getting better as a whole, but worse at critical positions. I won't remember Matt Hasselbeck leading the game with a pick or picking his way back on top, but I will remember Hawthorne's two and Josh Wilson sprinting down field for six.

Game Ball: Josh Wilson recorded his first tackle a yard before the first down marker. Hawthorne would follow with a tackle for no gain to force the field goal attempt. Jason Hanson missed. From there he was pretty quiet. He might be seen tackling his receiver where he stood like against Bryant Johnson in the second quarter, but he wasn't seen much.

Detroit is a bad passing offense and Kelly Jennings could disappear in the folds of their failure, but for Wilson, this was step up time against a corps of tall, powerful receivers. He wasn't leapt over or bullied out. When Megatron went high over him on a critical fourth quarter pass attempt, Wilson stuck in and disrupted the catch. Today was a training wheels step towards starting, but Wilson kept it level and finished off flying. The Seahawks need Pistol to turn his quiet day with an "!" into the beginning of a beautiful career at right corner.

Sean Locklear Scheduled to Practice

John Morgan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:30:24 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Sean Locklear is following the greatest Seahawk to ever play with fits and sits. He returns to practice today. A decision on his future looms large.

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Danny O'Neil is reporting that Sean Locklear will practice today for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain. Of the many injuries Locklear has endured, this latest might be the most worrying because of the chance of recurrence. The Seahawks will determine Locklear's fitness and start him, sit him or render him inactive. If he can, Locklear should start.

A week ago, Locklear's return would have seemed an essential step to Seattle playing itself back into contention. After Damion McIntosh performed ably against the Cowboys ferocious pass rush, I am sure many see no reason to bench him. There is one. Seattle wants Locklear to stick at left. Locklear is under contract and short of being cut (don't count it out) will be with Seattle next season. It needs to give him every opportunity to prove he can stick or demonstrably prove he can't.

McIntosh is not a long-term solution for Seattle at left. He will want more money in the offseason and that alone would put Seattle in a bind. It cannot pay Locklear and McIntosh good money to be mediocre tackles. Locklear is nearing his sell-by date. The essential idea of converting him to left tackle was smart, but it always had risk. Lock hasn't flunked out on the field, but 2009 marks his third season in the last four that he has lost significant time to injury. Dumb luck is still the best and most sound theory for why some players suffer injuries throughout their careers and others stay healthy. But following another season disabled by player injury, pressure will be the on Seahawks front office to expel injury report regulars.

The Seahawks still must balance winning now with overall talent evaluation. It cannot deny McIntosh's performance. The solution might be to start McIntosh over Ray Willis. Willis has not been bad, but he has not be good either, and he doesn't fit with what Seattle wants to do or where it's going as an offense. Tim Ruskell let Willis walk and I now understand why. It's a finesse blocking system and Willis is a bull in a china shop.

Ultimately, Seattle will probably be cautious with Locklear and retain the status quo. For the first time all season, the Seahawks offensive line looked good against a good opponent on Sunday. It held against multiple blitzes and got push in the run game. Rob Sims and Chris Spencer are the undoubted strengths of this line. Max Unger is coming along though he often looks bad. From what they have and who they can re-sign, one tackle spot should be filled, but the other is an overdue offseason priority. It Locklear can stick at left tackle, finding a zone blocking right tackle should be a test too easy to fail.

Winning with Seneca Wallace Part 2: Idiot Proofing

John Morgan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:04:40 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Building a roster around Seneca Wallace is a kind of idiot proofing. Instead of adding the quarterback and building around his talent, Seattle will add the talent and hope it can find a quarterback that can fit.

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Why Seneca? Does Seattle have a choice?

Matt Hasselbeck has entered that agonizing phase of his career where injuries are around every hit. Seattle could sign Jason Campbell, but maybe they can't. Campbell is a restricted free agent in an uncapped season. If the NFL hashes out that problem and Campbell becomes an unrestricted free agent, there's still no certainty he signs with Seattle or Seattle signs him. Seattle could draft a quarterback, but developing a quarterback is a lengthy process. One reason Detroit selected Matthew Stafford is that should Stafford develop, he will be entering his prime just as the Lions are finishing their rebuild.

Wallace, for all his flaws, is learning the Greg Knapp system, has game experience in the Knapp system, is developed or as developed as he'll be (and a good bit better than Stafford or Mark Sanchez) and has a certain floor. Wallace has a certain expected minimum performance.

Why Seneca? Because like it or lump it, Seneca Wallace might be the best quarterback available in 2010.

A player like C.J. Spiller adds new dimensions to the offense and reduces Wallace's burden. It won't work if Spiller is regularly fighting his way out of the backfield. That means Seattle needs to add primetime talent to their line. It doesn't need a full rebuild of its line, but it does need better, healthier depth and another premium talent to play alongside Chris Spencer. Adding a left tackle improves depth, improves the right tackle position, where Sean Locklear can play, and actually saves the team some scratch.

It's a lucky coincidence that what Seattle needs to run the ball is exactly what Wallace needs to protect himself from himself. The infinity drops won't stop, but a long limbed, natural left tackle that can mirror his man and continue to control the edge all the way through the back end can help shield Wallace's abysmal pocket presence. We're not talking a road grader. Seattle will be in the market for a Charles Brown, Selvish Capers type. Someone that can kick out, cut and has the foot speed to keep up with our loony tunes signal caller.

Adding a tackle is a start, but Seattle needs to improve its depth and specifically, depth that can excel in Knapp's system. The Seahawks should pursue Daryn Colledge, Marshal Yanda, Chris Kuper or even someone like Khalif Barnes and Alex Barron, two players that have flunked out at tackle but could improve as guards.

The idea is to turn Seneca Wallace into a David Garrard by improving the talent around him and creating a system that is run first, strict, and powered by play action. You do not create the Wallace system because it's ideal, but because it satisfies basic needs and deemphasizes the quarterback. Ideally, the system that can work with Wallace can work with Mike Teel, Zac Robinson, Case Keenum or Tim Tebow, allowing Wallace to be the crash test dummy, and the kid Seattle drafts, the driver. Wallace keeps the team competitive enough to add free agent talent and avoid the high stakes pit of perennial top ten picks. Teams do not win Super Bowls with Seneca Wallace, but Wallace could be Seattle's Jim Harbaugh or Drew Bledsoe.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/2

NJ Chiefs Fan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:39:32 -0000

via i.cdn.turner.com

Very little news today.

In seven games, the Chiefs offense has had 90 negative yardage plays. That’s running and passing play for minus yards, sacks, interceptions, fumbles lost and offensive penalties. When it comes to negative on offense, the Chiefs lead the league.

"Minus plays, minus plays, we have to eliminate minus plays," Haley said last week. "Coach (Bill) Parcells drilled it into my head over and over and over again for years about minus plays and how they lead to dissatisfaction with your offense.

"Right now, we’re all dissatisfied with the offense and to me the root of that evil is minus plays."

Here’s how those negative plays breakdown at this point in the season:

Negative Thoughts … Monday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

A confession: for five years, I hosted the Dick Vermeil Show every Monday night, sometimes Tuesday nights, after Chiefs games. That would be 81 shows.
For 80 of those shows, which were done in the broadcast booth at Arrowhead Stadium, we had a bottle of wine on site. Almost always it was a red wine, because that was my preference; Vermeil’s too. There were usually five to six people there as part of the show, so the bottle would go quickly

The Coach would have about half a glass. He had been at work since 5 a.m. and was planning to be working until about midnight; Mondays are always a very busy day in the NFL. Anything more than a swallow or two would have Vermeil nodding off in his meeting with the coaches.

From Coaching To Wine, Vintage Vermeil from Bob Gretz

Instead, the union — fully aware of Johnson’s long track record of bad behavior (last year he was benched for three games by the former coach Herman Edwards and suspended for an additional game by the N.F.L. following two nightclub incidents) — kept a low profile and allowed the Chiefs and Johnson’s agent to negotiate a deal to avoid a grievance hearing. The league will not impose its own discipline because the team acted first, and the league agreed with its actions.
With that settled, there is no guarantee General Manager Scott Pioli ever allows Johnson to play for the Chiefs again. In 2006, Johnson had 2,199 yards in rushing and receiving but his production has declined since and this year he has just 358 yards on 132 rushes, for a 2.7 yards per rush average. The Chiefs, who are in rebuilding mode anyway, could decide that Johnson causes too many headaches for too little production.

What is Johnson's Future in Kansas City? from The New York Times

The Seahawks’ fourth starting left tackle this season, 10-year veteran Damion McIntosh, had a solid game in his first start with Seattle.

McIntosh was picked up two weeks ago when it appeared that veteran left tackle Walter Jones was bound for the injured reserve list with a knee issue while his successor, Sean Locklear, was still nursing a high ankle sprain. McIntosh stepped in to fill the void nicely.

Facing one of the league’s best pass rushers in DeMarcus Ware, McIntosh gave up just one sack . It came late in the game, after the outcome was decided.

Trufant targeted in return for Hawks from The Olympian

Player Tweets

BFlowers24 miami was craaazy.......shoutout to "......" gotta watch what u say on twiiter these days.....but yea cumn from kc i needed a time last nite

Media and Fans

ArrowheadPride Anyone else finding baseball to be a nice substitute for the Chiefs today?

About a thousand variations on this tweet:

bandfrag: Hurray! The Kansas City Chiefs did not lose today! They accomplished this by not playing, but still... @bandfrag loves the Chiefs!!!!

ShaneFWray_CA: @JoshLooney It would have been nice if the Chiefs could have taken a playmaker like Harvin in the draft instead of a DL picked way too high!

Dallas Cowboys 38 - Seattle Seahawks 17

John Morgan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:24:44 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Jim Mora relates fan anger. I don't feel the same frustration.

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Seattle is a bad team. Preseason hope notwithstanding, I think that was an accurate estimate of what this team would be this year. The offense has withered and the defense has not yet become a dominant unit. It's young and I am not disappointed with how it played today.

Seahawks fans might be a bit entitled. Most young fans adopted Seattle when the team was good. It took a lot of bad to get there. That is the ebb and flow of the NFL.

The foundation of the offense collapsed last season. Years of top heavy drafting and fruitless free agent spending forced a complete rebuild of the defense. Seattle is in a position where it needs to do likewise with its offense. Tim Ruskell attempted to prop up a sagging unit with veterans, stop gaps and polished draft picks.

Years of IOUs have come due the last two seasons. Alexander Pushkin said "The lie that exalts us is dearer than a thousand sober truths." A lot of fans used to winning grasped for reasons Seattle would rebound this season. The injuries continued. The offense collapsed in pieces. The defense is not able, may never be able, to carry the Seahawks without an offense.

If we audit the offense with a serious eye to the future, Seattle has five, maybe six players it can build around: Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, John Carlson, Nate Burleson, Max Unger and maybe Sean Locklear. That is desperation thin.

Ruskell has never had a chance to build the Seahawks offense. It is up to Paul Allen if he will be trusted with that this offseason. Ruskell could be criticized for ignoring the offense. That is a complex argument, but one worth exploring in detail. What we do know is that Ruskell has little experience building an offense and it is not considered his strength.

But the team moves on. A lot of the talent we are attached to will leave or be purged. The schemes will tighten as the coaches and players become more confident in each other. Seattle is a team in transition. It doesn't look stuck in the perennial losing of the 2000-era 49ers or Lions. We may not know that until this time next season.

It was a good run, but it's over. The Seahawks are dead. Long live the Seahawks.

Game Ball: Jordan Babineaux

David Hawthorne had the best game, but Babineaux may have had the most important game. Babineaux finally played like a safety. He filled in the run game. He was in position to attack the pass. I do not know if Seattle sticks with Babineaux, but for the first time in his career as a free safety, he gave the Seahawks reason to.

Auditing the Seahawks Roster: Left Tackle

John Morgan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:19:47 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

I assume this is an optical illusion and Matt Hasselbeck doesn't really dwarf Kurt Warner. Warner is all smiles. Hasselbeck has the wan smile of a man with tenderized insides. Flipping the two expressions starts with improving the offensive line. Improving the offensive line starts with a starting caliber left tackle.

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Seattle has assembled quite a motley crew at left tackle. The bye week is a good time to determine the future of the position and how Seattle should get there.

Walter Jones: Here's my hope: Jones does not return to the Seahawks this season. With his time off stretching well over a year, Jones begins recapturing the joy of not playing. He realizes he has nothing left to prove to the league, no need for the remainder of his contract, and a long life ahead of him, knees, shoulders and brain intact. Walter Jones announces his retirement and Seahawks fans everywhere can begin what will be a lifelong tribute to the greatest Seahawk to ever put on Blue.

Sean Locklear: Seattle signed Sean Locklear to a five-year, $32 million contract in 2008. That contract contained escalators if Locklear eventually took over at left tackle. He started this season as Seattle's starting left tackle, but wasn't there long before being sidelined with yet another injury. Injuries have become a major problem for Lock. He is not a superstar and does not play a position Seattle needs a superstar, but he doesn't become a good target for release until the offseason of 2011. He is guaranteed $12 million and, to my knowledge, has only been paid a hair more than $6 million.

Locklear has the skills to be what Seattle needs in a left tackle. He is good in pass pro and a good fit for a zone blocking scheme. He has good footwork, takes good angles and knows how to pull out, cut and block on the move. His most recent injury is another in a line of disconnected, fluke injuries that have plagued him. Perhaps Locklear lacks the ability to protect his body, but that is such a hard thing to know. Locklear's injuries are not the degenerative kind. He does not have the weakened shoulder joints or bollocksed up knees of a player in premature decline. He hasn't shown lingering effects from his injuries and Malcolm Gladwell does not weep for his brain.

Locklear gives Seattle freedom to approach the draft and offseason with options. The team might add a better talent at left tackle and move Locklear back to right tackle. It might think there is better talent at guard or right tackle, and decide to keep on Locklear and hope he develops. It could move Locklear to guard. His injuries have hurt his value, and he is no longer cheap, but his contract is not burdensome. Locklear has a place within this organization for now, be it starting at left tackle, starting at right tackle, starting at guard, insuring a draft pick, providing depth or just being a bridge until a better player can take over.

Brandon Frye: Frye got thrown in the deep end and couldn't learn to swim before he had to be dragged out, gasping. For a little while, he flailed his arms and kept his head above water. Then the big kids jumped in and pulled off his shorts. Dwight Freeney did to Frye what Jay Ratliff did to Steve Vallos. Vallos returned the next season and proved he could provide depth at center. Frye could return next season and start.

I like Ray Willis a lot, but he is not matched to Seattle's scheme. It's hard watching a big man move so well and yet clearly not well enough to do what is asked of him. Watch Willis attempt to pull across the front of the line and engage an opposite field linebacker and you'll see for all his open-field blocking ability and big-man quicks, he is simply not quick enough to arrive in time. Frye is. Frye is the type of player a zone blocking scheme should have. He isn't huge and he doesn't eat small countries for breakfast like a Philly right tackle, but he has decent size, good versatility and very good athleticism. He isn't a mauler, but can maul when he has the angle or an assist. Most importantly, he can get out and cut that opposite field linebacker to spring C.J. Spiller for a 93 yard run off left tackle.

Kyle Williams: When Williams practice squad eligibility expires, so does his usefulness to Seattle. It's not your fault, guy, blame Vallos. I know I do. For everything. As Maggie Simpson so eloquently put it: "You're the reason I can't talk."

The Offensive Line Part 4: A Failure Not Earned

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

It's hard not to be mad after yesterday's travesty, but class, and the ability to direct one's anger where it belongs, separates the losers of yesterday and the losers of tomorrow.

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Offensive line, right? It's a joke made thousands of times since 2005. From what little I saw of yesterday's game, the line was bad enough to kill the offense itself. The Seahawks week six line, Kyle Williams - Steve Vallos - Chris Spencer - Max Unger - Ray Willis, is the worst line Seattle has started since Tim Ruskell took over. Williams and Vallos are essentially replacement level talent, and Spencer to Willis is not the kind of intimidating right side that can hide a piecemeal left.

Seattle was poorly built but lucky in 2007 and as things turn out, it has been well built but unlucky in 2009. Kyle Williams was never meant to start. Seattle imported a player from across the country to keep Williams on its practice squad. Williams was buried behind Sean Locklear, Brandon Frye and theoretically Walter Jones.

Let's blow up the Jones situation again. Jones underwent microfracture knee surgery last fall. I thought that might be the end of his career, but I was in error. It might still be the end of his playing career, but Jones is very much a Seahawk and very much on the Seahawks roster. He cost $8.6 million against the cap each of the last two seasons and I believe costs even more than that this season. Maybe Jones is never going to play again, but in Ruskell's world, Jones is an investment and a failing one Seattle can't shake.

Before training camp, Jones passed his physicals. His microfracture surgery was a success. The rub is that the procedure is not likely to preserve Jones career and its short term consequences have left Jones unable to play. So the greatest player in Seahawks history, through no fault of his own or others, has become a big, fat boondoggle.

Seattle did invest into its tackle position. It signed Locklear to a contract with incentives if he stuck at left tackle. Locklear has been reasonably healthy and had shown some skills that could translate. The team was not relying on Locklear for its future, but with the entire tackle situation queered by Jones health, Locklear represented a cheap, low-downside bridge from the Jones era to whatever followed. Seattle re-signed Ray Willis to a two-year, inexpensive contract. Willis seems like a steal now that his early-career health problems are behind him. Funny how unpredictable injuries are.

Seattle's success kept it just outside 2008's historic offensive tackle class and it's hard to discredit Seattle for selecting Aaron Curry fourth overall in 2009. Linebacker is not typically a foundational position, but Stafford was gone, Sanchez was iffy, the tackle class overblown -- its best talent taken at two and its second best talent Andre Smith. Eugene Monroe is tossed around, but Monroe had serious injury concerns. He started the season for Jacksonville but has since been benched. If you saw the solution to Seattle's offensive line woes on October 11, you weren't sitting in Qwest Field.

At the time and in the short term, Curry appears to be the right pick. Seattle then traded its second round pick for the 2010 first round pick of the Denver Broncos. It was team with a rookie coach, Kyle Orton at quarterback and one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2008. It was a smart decision then and whatever has happened since doesn't change that.

Unless it wasn't a smart decision. Eben Britton was available. He is playing right tackle now and may forever play right tackle. Seattle could have selected Andy Levitre, though Levitre is a guard. It could have drafted William Beatty, but neither player has done much for their respective teams. Instead it traded that pick for a better pick and traded back into the second to draft Max Unger. Unger has started all season and seems mostly competent for a rookie right guard.

So it was a smart decision. And yet Seattle's offensive line is in ruins. That is a microcosm for this entire debate. Tim Ruskell has made many smart decisions, but the Seahawks are not winning games. A general manager's job is to build a winning football team. Seattle is 6-20 over the last two seasons. It has clear and recognizable weaknesses at offensive line and in the secondary. Both are units Ruskell has invested in.

Ruskell drafted Ray Willis and he starts. He drafted Chris Spencer and Spencer starts, but has missed time because of injury. He draft Rob Sims and Sims starts, but has missed time because of injury. He drafted Unger, the rookie. He signed Sean Locklear as a low-downside stop-gap until the team could know what to do with Walter Jones, and Locklear's injury has been felt worst of all. He drafted Steve Vallos and Mansfield Wrotto, but Vallos has shifted around and started bad. Wrotto can't seem to impress Seattle's coaches. He got Brandon Frye for nothing, but Frye went down, and Williams for nothing, his asking price, and Damion McIntosh for almost nothing, but maybe a week too late.

Ruskell built his line through the draft and without great expenditure. His picks have been mostly mild to moderate successes. He may not envision an elite line or maybe just never saw value when Seattle was on the clock. That might be arguable, but it isn't indefensible.

So how did the offensive line become offensive? Injuries, age and one very bad decision, it would seem. Steve Hutchinson hangs over Ruskell. Walter Jones, Robbie Tobeck and Chris Gray got old. Jones, through not fault of anyone, has become a burden. Locklear, the young tackle many were gushing about in 2005 has suffered a rash of disconnected injuries. Sims, the young guard many were gushing about in 2006 has suffered a rash of disconnected injuries. Kris Dielman said "no". Unger is a rookie. Spencer has been competent and not too long ago was a steady, established starter. Mike Wahle filled in for a season before his body broke down. Tom Ashworth was expunged. No one Ruskell inherited from 2004 except Hutchinson who was worth retaining wasn't retained.

Revisiting Ruskell's decisions when they were made does not reveal great missed opportunities, but missed opportunities. It does not reveal a general manager that ran a historically great line into the ground, but instead one crucial mistake and the irrepressible destructiveness of time. It does not reveal a man who ignored the line, but added good talent to it, good overall, good respective to the available players and good respective to their cost. It reveals that yesterday's game, awful as it was, is the kind of game every franchise endures. Ozzie Newsome saw it week one of 2007. Bill Polian saw it in week three of 1987.

They saw, we saw, an everyday, frustrating as hell, meltdown -- The kind that happens every Sunday. But there's no heads to call for and no easy answers to rebuilding.