SB Nation - Travis Fisher

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West: Roster Move Addition

Hawkwind — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:56:31 -0000

about 1 month ago: St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, left, is congratulated by linebackers coach Paul Ferraro after beating the Detroit Lions 17-10 in an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The Arizona Cardinals weren't the only team in the NFC West that made some roster moves this week, but even mid-season roster moves aren't the lead story this week. First it's worth mentioning that the Cardinals will make one more roster move in the upcoming couple of days because the Bengals have signed fullback Fui Vakanpuna off the Cardinals practice squad. It'll be interesting to see who the Cardinals sign to fill the vacant practice squad spot.

St. Louis Rams: Normally we list the teams in order of division standings but when a team breaks a 17 game losing streak, they deserve some recognition. It had literally been 378 days since the Rams last won a regular season game and Steven Jackson (149 yards rushing) did most of the heavy lifting against the equally hapless Lions. Despite the win the Rams still have major questions at quarterback and some are starting to think that Marc Bulger's career is very near the end. One bright spot, outside of Jackson of course, is the development of the offensive line though, especially first round pick Jason Smith. The Rams also made a roster move, releasing wide receiver Tim Carter and signing cornerback Danny Gorrer.

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners lost a game to the Colts that was closer than just about everyone expected (18-14) but the Niners aren't waving the "moral victory" flag either. Not only does this loss push their current losing streak to three but they also lost three significant starters during the game. Joe Staley (MCL and PCL strain) is expected to miss six weeks, Nate Clements (fractured scapula) is expected to miss six to eight weeks and Demetric Evans (AC sprain) is expected to miss at least three weeks. These injuries forced the Niners to make a couple of moves, signing cornerback Keith Smith (formerly of the Lions) and releasing seldom used wide receiver Michael Spurlock. Their also expected to make at least one more roster move (possibly pulling up an OT from their practice squad). Considering that Sunday's game was Alex Smith's first start since 2007, here's also a complete breakdown of his peformance and Niner's fans have also determined that the NFC West will come down to a dog fight (we can still say "dog fight" right?) between their team and the Cards.

Seattle Seahawks: Following thier second consecutive lopsided loss, which dropped them to 2-5, the Seahawks seem to be cleaining house. In the past two days they've made nine roster moves including the release of veteran running back Edgerrin James. Also included in the released/cut department include Travis Fisher and C.J. Wallace. New to the 53 man roster will be Mike Hass (WR), Roy Lewis (CB) and Jamar Adams (S), all of whom were on their practice squad. Filling thier now vacant practice squad spots will be Trae Williams (CB), DeAngelo Willingham (CB) and Devin Moore (RB). Needless to say roster cleaning like this is indicative of a team that has given up on any hopes of competing this season and moving on with the hopes of allowing younger players to grow during the remaining nine games. One interesting thought is that some Hawks fans are wondering if it's time to pass the torch from Matt Hasselbeck to Seneca Wallace (part I and II). Needless to say we're watching the demise of the Hawks and it could turn into quite a show over the next couple of seasons.

NFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Arizona	4	3	157	143
San Francisco	3	4	147	140
Seattle	2	5	135	147
St. Louis	1	7	77	221

(updated 11.3.2009 at 3:44 AM CST)

Patrick Kerney's Two Seconds to Factor

John Morgan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:03:51 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Peyton Manning has among the fastest reads in the history of the NFL. That keeps pass rushers away and him healthy. Seattle's secondary was weak enough that Manning could pass before defensive line pressure was possible.

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Before I lay out the bones of Patrick Kerney's second quarter, let us talk about Peyton Manning. Manning does two things exceptionally well.

He is able to make almost any pass with perfect accuracy. It's astounding. In the modern NFL, a receiver always has some separation. If his quarterback can consistently hit him in the hands, Pierre Garcon can burn Asante Samuel. That's the trick to Austin Collie blowing past Travis Fisher for a 21 yard touchdown. Fisher wasn't close, but Collie never broke his route. That play was practice-smooth. Collie ran his route and received a perfectly placed pass to his hands just as he finished it.

Manning is also able to consistently read a defense, find a target and pass in two to four seconds. If you watch Manning, you will nearly never see him stall like Ben Roethlisberger, Seneca Wallace and, truly, almost every other quarterback, bad, good and great, in football.

This is where Kerney comes in. He was in for 15 plays, rested for three when Nick Reed subbed in, and in those fifteen plays, whether he snapped off the line, beat his man, made a good move or not, he could not factor into the play. Seattle's defensive line had no time to create pass rush. That was in part the product of a complete secondary collapse. Seattle could have lined up Dwight Freeney - Brandon Mebane - Tommie Harris - Jared Allen and not sacked Manning. Seattle could not cover and that meant its line did not have enough time to create pressure.

Let's take this to the logical extreme. If Seattle had the above line, but no other players on defense, that line would never record a sack. Conversely, if Seattle bred four mutant Deion "Night Train" Lotts and populated their secondary with them, a line of four Colin Coles would eventually sack the quarterback.

That is the push and pull of pressure and coverage. Neither one can be understood without the other and either can make the other look better or worse than it is. Seattle's secondary is not terrible, but it's weak. Weak doesn't work against Peyton. Kelly Jennings has rebounded well and Ken Lucas has impressed me. Travis Fisher is a little in over his head. Maybe it's a hangover from an injury wracked start to his season, but Indianapolis was not his chance to get healthy. Jordan Babineaux is clearly still struggling. Deon Grant - I'm not exactly sure how to categorize Deon Grant.

Kerney only had one very good jump off the line. That was to begin the Colts touchdown scoring two minute drill. He even turned the corner and got close to pressuring Manning, but slipped. For much of the drive, Kerney looked, well, tired. He looked very tired. That was most pronounced on the fourth and fifth plays, after the Colts twice snapped "no huddle". On the fifth play, he ran a very slow stunt across the line. Manning was flushed from the pocket, but Kerney did not flush him and did not pressure him after he was flushed.

Kerney did not factor. That is the best way to put it. In eight of the fifteen plays, I have scribbled "DNF". His performance at the start of the second drive and his visible fatigue on the fourth and fifth plays are instructive. Kerney played worse when he was tired, but was not regularly substituted out. Later Kerney was injured.

Before the season, Seattle spoke of using Kerney in a more limited capacity to extend his life as a pass rusher. Looking at Brian McIntyre's snap counts, that doesn't look to be the case. Kerney played in 66.7% of Seattle's defensive snaps against the Rams, a game Seattle led by 21 midway through the third quarter. He played in 80% and 82.5% of Seattle's snaps against the 49ers and Bears, respectively. He played in 65.1% of the teams' snaps last Sunday and left the game because of injury.

Seattle has more defensive ends with talent than almost any team in the NFL. It needs to start using them, before it loses them as it lost Kerney. Until its secondary can cover more than two seconds, it won't matter.

Seattle Seahawks Dominate First Half but Fumble Away Lead and Cannot Recover

John Morgan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:15:12 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

T.J. Houshmandzadeh could not turn his pre-game boasting into production. He was targeted nine times, but received for only 35 yards. His fumble on the second play of the second half led to a Chicago touchdown and the Bears first lead of the game.

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Seneca Wallace rolled out and targeted John Carlson, but John Owens stepped in and received the pass for a first down. With 46 seconds remaining, Seattle was first and ten from the Chicago 37--needing a score. Four plays later, Wallace would throw incomplete to Julius Jones and the Seahawks would turn over the ball on downs, effectively ending the game.

It was a game that started strong for Seattle. Seattle went up 7-0 when Jones took a screen up the right sideline and broke a tackle in the open field to receive for 39 yards and the touchdown. That screen pass made up for a bad hand off and bad decision by Wallace. He pitched it the wrong direction, recovered and then ran the ball out of bounds when a legal throw-away would have saved Seattle from a 14 yard loss.

With the early lead, the Seahawks young defense got after it. Middle pressure by Brandon Mebane and edge pressure by Darryl Tapp forced Jay Cutler into a bad-idea lob that David Hawthorne caught for an interception. Hawhthorne's interception led to an 11 play scoring drive that put Seattle ahead 10-0. Olindo Mare converted from 46.

Field position helped Seattle go ahead 13-0 before an overturned fumble turned momentum in Chicago's favor. Hawthorne forced a fumble that was overruled after a Chicago challenge. Two plays later, the Bears would score. Strong safety Deon Grant got a hit on Cutler, but Cutler had enough to lob a pass for Greg Olsen for the touchdown.

Seattle's offense sputtered. Olindo Mare missed his next field goal attempt, and a good return by Ben Obomanu was wasted.

The Seahawks started the second half with a brief drive that ended suddenly with a sloppy fumble by T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

The Bears took that field position and drove a short length. Johnny Knox ran a crossing route, caught Cutler's pass and put a move on Aaron Curry to get a step towards the end zone. There he squeezed past Kelly Jennings and wrapped the ball around the pylon to put Chicago ahead. Jim Mora challenged it, but the calling on the field stood.

Seattle built its next drive from 30 yards of facemask penalties, but Mare again hooked the field goal left and left points on the field.

The Seahawks forced a quick three and out, but a misjudged punt by Justin Forsett was declared a "fair catch" only for the ball to soar over Forsett and be downed at the Seattle six. On the first play of the drive, Chicago flushed Wallace from the pocket and he scrambled into his end zone before throwing an interception to Lance Briggs.

The Bears took that field position and scored a field goal, putting themselves up 17-13.

Midway through the fourth and with the Bears up 17-16, Curry put the defense on his shoulders and turned the odds in Seattle's favor. Curry shot into the backfield and tackled Matt Forte for a loss of two and then on the subsequent down, Gus Bradley worked a blitz to get Curry outside and around left end. He forced an uncalled hold, and stripped Cutler from behind. Seattle recovered.

After a short drive, Mare hit one from 46 to give Seattle its final lead of the day.

The following possession ended with Devin Hester maneuvering between a colliding Grant and nickel corner Travis Fisher to score a 36 yard touchdown. That pass proved decisive, as Seattle fell 25-19.

Deon Grant Charges Travis Fisher to Turn Completion into Touchdown; Bears Convert Two Pointer to Pull Ahead Six

John Morgan — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:12:08 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Olindo Mare is a minor goat if Seattle loses. But goats are plentiful in Seattle, today.

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Travis Fisher has struggled in coverage, but he was close to the burner Devin Hester when Hester caught the pass. It wasn't until Deon Grant ran up and flying-tackled Fisher that the coverage broke down and Hester ran for a touchdown. Seattle is in a desperate situation. It needs the touchdown to win, and has little option to tie.

The reception came on a blitz attempt by Seattle.

David Hawthorne Intercepts Pass

John Morgan — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:30:14 -0000

Jay Cutler went low on Aaron Curry on an end around, for a called crackback block. That turned a 19 yard gain into a 15 yard penalty. A subsequent false start led to first and 30. But blown coverage by Travis Fisher results in a long conversion.

Then the kids got after it. Middle pressure by Brandon Mebane and edge pressure by Darryl Tapp pressure Cutler into a bad-idea lob that David Hawthorne caught for an interception.

Updating the Seattle Seahawks Injury Status

John Morgan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:03:13 -0000

Danny O'Neil, infrequent criticism aside, my go to guy for Seahawks information, has compiled Jim Mora's comments on Seattle's multiple injuries. Here is the summary in inverted pyramid style.

Matt Hasselbeck: Everyone, including Hasselbeck, wants Hasselbeck to play this weekend, but we are no surer of if he will than we were yesterday. The Seahawks game against the Bears is being built up as an important win for Seattle. I am just heartened Hasselbeck is close. The initial reports sounded dire.

Walter Jones: Jones will practice. Mora procrastinated a decision on if he will start. It is noteworthy that Seattle has not made any moves to add depth at offensive tackle.

Brandon Mebane: Is not practicing today, but is described as feeling "much better".

Deion Branch: Branch is practicing with the team and is expected to play this Sunday. All discussion about his durability aside, Seattle is building a good pass offense. Branch could still be their best receiver.

Lofa Tatupu: Tatupu sounds doubtful as of now. After returning prematurely against San Francisco, I think Seattle is being more cautious with him. Some glaring misreads aside, I think Seattle can weather a week of David Hawthorne.

Chris Spencer: Spencer would be higher on the list, but zounds, Steve Vallos is playing good football. Funny the life of an analyst. I helped create Vallos' bad reputation, and now, after he snapped his way into the bad graces of Seahawks fans, I find myself defending him for what was a solid game despite the bush league snapping.

Travis Fisher: Fisher is important because he is a corner, and that is a position Seattle is very thin at. Fisher is also important because he is pretty dang talented. I think what I first wrote about Fisher still stands:

...Seattle's fourth best zone defender now that Jordan Babineaux is committed to safety...Once upon a time Fisher was a pretty good athlete, but it's anyone's guess how much of that's been lost to a rash of knee and groin injuries. But Fisher has a chance to make the opening day roster and should he, Fisher could surprise.

I don't know where to stash this sentiment, so this post will do. I was as realistic/pessimistic as anyone entering this season, but after two weeks, I see a team with real potential. Things fell apart on Sunday, but Seattle is building a very good pass offense. If it can stay healthy and get its weapons on the field together, Branch, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, John Carlson, Nate Burleson, Deon Butler, Julius Jones and Justin Forsett comprise a very talented group of skill position players. I could fill this post with my hope, but I'll keep it simple: The season is not over, Seattle has survived a scare or three, and if this team can get healthy, I have no doubt it is the most talented team in the NFC West.

Josh Wilson and Sean Locklear Suffer High Ankle Sprains

John Morgan — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:20:18 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

D.J. Hackett has had his career undermined by multiple high ankle sprains. It's a common, benign sounding injury that is debilitating and slow to heal. Josh Wilson and Sean Locklear are out until further notice.

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Danny O'neil is reporting that Josh Wilson and Sean Locklear have both suffered high ankle sprains.

Why is a high ankle sprain worse than a typical ankle sprain? One can figure it out pretty intuitively, actually. A regular ankle sprain involves an ankle overextending medially. The ankle is designed for some medial movement. That means it can twist and turn from a straight position towards the middle of one's body. That motions is called pronation. It does not move well laterally. That motion is called supination. A lateral, common ankle sprain involves movement of the foot medially. The sprain occurs to the ligaments being stretched rather than the ligaments being compacted. When someone suffers a high ankle sprain, it is because the ankle is over supinated. It has moved too far laterally and strained the ligaments on the medial side.

When a foot is over-supinated it strains this group of ligaments.

High ankle sprains can vary in severity. Most are serious though and will keep a player out for 4-6 weeks. High ankle sprains recur, too. Meaning Locklear and Wilson are now more at-risk for another high ankle sprain than they were before the injury. This is one reason injuries are not simply luck.

The loss of Wilson combined with Marcus Trufant's injury and the promotion of Jordan Babineaux leaves Seattle functionally without depth at the cornerback. Dimeback Travis Fisher has yet to play a snap and has missed significant practice time. Babineaux might be moved back to corner to bolster Seattle's depth. The team's depth at safety is comparably strong.

Walter Jones is projected to return this week. He has accomplished superhuman feats before, and if his recovery is complete and Jones is once again an above-average left tackle, that feat would rank among his greatest. Backing up Jones, Seattle has Brandon Frye on its roster and Kyle Williams on its practice squad. Frye played some tackle at Virgina Tech, but has played guard most of his pro career. Yesterday was his first regular season snaps at the position. Williams is a big body that doesn't kill himself with his technique and decision making. He also isn't very good and limits what Seattle can do.

Seattle has relied on quick recoveries in the past and gotten themselves into deep trouble. I wonder if today's announcement foreshadows a Keary Colbert-type move. Seattle could trade picks for an unwanted player. Or it could use those picks to draft younger, healthier talent that can contribute to the Seahawks future.

Deion Branch and Brandon Mebane Headline Seahawks Inactives

John Morgan — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:10:48 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

It's time for Big Country to step and stop the run.

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The Seattle Seahawks suffer a serious loss and an expected one. Brandon Mebane and Deion Branch are inactive for today's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Branch will continue to be inactive until he can practice regularly. He has said he is capable and desires to play, but Jim Mora does not want to play Branch and risk further injury. Seattle is stacked with weapons in the passing game and should not suffer another missed game by Branch, but one wonders when he will play.

The greater loss is definitely Mebane. Mebane is Seattle's best interior pass rusher, best interior run stuffer, the best lineman at forcing and splitting double teams and, if not already clear, the Seahawks best defensive lineman. He may be Seattle's single best defender. The team is lucky that it has excellent depth at defensive tackle. Red Bryant is active and will fill some of Mebane's snaps.

Seattle used a double over-tackle formation in the preseason with Bryant aligned beside Colin Cole. It doesn't create the kind of fast pressure a team expects from an under-tackle, but it commands the interior and allows Seattle's defensive ends and linebackers to be playmakers. It's an older system last regularly used by the turn of the millennium Miami Dolphins.

The remaining inactive players are: Travis Fisher, Leroy Hill, Chris Spencer, Walter Jones and Michael Bennett.

Seattle Seahawks Official Injury Status

John Morgan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:58:15 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Brandon Mebane hurts others. He doesn't get hurt.

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I will wrap up the Rams game with a single notes piece today and then highlight a few plays the Seahawks might use against the 49ers tomorrow. It's a whole new playbook for me too, so sorry if this has dragged, but I am getting used to the formations, timing and logic behind Greg Knapp and Gus Bradley's play calls.

The news today is mostly good. T.J Houshmandzadeh is probable, and as the key component to Seattle's passing attack behind Matt Hasselbeck, his health is paramount. Deion Branch is questionable. The company line is that Branch will play when Jim Mora can feel confident that doing so won't risk further injury. I like that thinking, but with Branch, a quick-healer but a player whose body has fallen apart on him the last couple years, that could mean he never plays again.

I respect the 49ers defense. I began respecting them the second they fired Mike Nolan. It's impressive collection of talent, but Nolan struggled with power. He got too cute and undermined his talent. Seattle could struggle to run the ball, so it will need a strong passing attack to pull away. That, or some timely turnovers by the defense.

Brandon Mebane and Lofa Tatupu are the notables on defense. Short term, I do not fear either missing action on Sunday. That should sound curious, as I am a staunch defender of Tatupu and live under Mebane's house so we're never far away. I am not too concerned, because neither injury sounds serious, I don't believe San Francisco is capable of a good offense with the talent and scheme they are running, but most importantly, I am not concerned because Seattle is stacked at middle linebacker and defensive tackle.

David Hawthorne would sub for Tatupu. Over the course of a season, that's a huge downgrade. Hawthorne is nowhere near Tatupu's equal as a pass defender. But coaches struggle to make lightning adjustments and that weakness would not likely be exposed in one game. Hawthorne isn't far from Tatupu as a run stopper or blitzer. Not far enough for it cripple Seattle's defense, anyway.

If Craig Terrill subs for Mebane, there's trouble. Terrill is not a bad football players. Terrill is an incredibly limited football player that should not start. Red Bryant should assume Mebane's spot. He isn't Terrill's equal as a one-gap penetrator or pass rusher, but he is better rounded and a better starter. Seattle would be huge in the middle, and what was lost from interior pressure could be supplemented with stunts and "A" gap blitzes.

In order of how likely I think each is to play, I would list Seattle's walking wounded: Housh, Tatupu, Mebane, Branch, and Travis Fisher, with Chris Spencer and Walter Jones tied for no effing chance.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks Injury Report

John Morgan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:10:37 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

C.J. Wallace, face mask lodged in Darren Sproles back, is not likely to play this Sunday. His injury and the injury of Travis Fisher leaves Seattle thin in the secondary and thin at special teams.

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The NFL has released the official injury report for Sunday's Seahawks game at Qwest Field.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
St. Louis Rams
Craig Dahl	S	Hamstring	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
John Greco	T	Wrist	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Larry Grant	LB	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Marc Bulger	QB	right Finger	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Seattle Seahawks
Walter Jones	T	Knee	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Chris Spencer	C	Quadricep	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Travis Fisher	CB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Doubtful
Derek Walker	DE	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Doubtful
Deion Branch	WR	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
C.J. Wallace	S	Rib	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable

Marc Bulger headlines the Rams injuries. Probable means St. Louis projects a 25% chance Bulger will not play. Craig Dahl is depth and was not likely to contribute. John Greco is also depth, but is listed at guard on the Rams depth chart. Larry Grant's injury and the recent release of Chris Draft have thrust David Vobora, the last man selected in the 2008 draft, into starting at strongside linebacker. Vobora is an undersized tackler that tackles too far from the line of scrimmage. He was active in special teams and recorded a tackle for a loss and a sack in the preseason. The Seahawks need their lead blockers to get up to Vobora and shove him out of the play.

Deion Branch has missed three straight practices with a hamstring injury and is 50-50 to play on Sunday. Derek Walker is likely to be deactivated, so his injury is of no concern. I doubt C.J. Wallace will play. That and the injury to Travis Fisher leaves Seattle thin in the secondary and thin at special teams. Nick Reed could be activated to bolster the special teams. If Fisher can't play, Seattle will be barred from a true Dime defense. I, for one, think Will Herring should pick up snaps in obvious passing downs.