SB Nation - David Hawthorne

NFL Offseason Grades: Seahawks Get A B-Minus From SI

Danny Kelly — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:47:08 -0000

It's about that time of the offseason where news is slow, players are away on vacation, and teams aren't doing much in terms of making moves or changing depth charts. As we approach training camp, it's as good as a time as any to hand out 'offseason grades' prior to the frantic shuffling we'll inevitably see in the next couple of months prior to Week 1's kickoff.

SportsIllustrated released their grades on Wednesday and gave Seattle a B-minus. Find out why, after the jump.

Per SI:

• Seattle Seahawks: The high-profile move here was getting QB Matt Flynn in free agency. However, we're not even sure if Flynn will beat out Tarvaris Jackson and Russell Wilson for the starting gig. Seattle needs the surprising Bruce Irvin draft pick to pay off. DT Jason Jones may wind up being the most important pick-up and keeping Red Bryant was key, but the defense may not be able to replace David Hawthorne. Grade: B-minus

Now, though I might be a little more optimistic than SI is on the prospects of Matt Flynn and Bruce Irvin, it is an offseason of unknowns for the Seahawks. A lot (A LOT) depends on how well Flynn can play early on and if he struggles and fails to win the starting job, many will judge the Seahawks harshly for their decision to bring him in. Similarly, if Irvin is a slow starter (which may happen even though I do believe he'll have a good NFL career), the Seahawks will probably get a little heat for what many in the media deemed a 'reach' pick at 15.

Still, I think many of their moves have the potential to provide great things for the Seahawks. With Irvin and Jones acting as two new dynamic pass rushers for the Seahawks plus rookie Bobby Wagner taking the departed David Hawthorne's place in the middle of the defense -- a top-10 defense without their contributions in 2011 -- we could see a lot of improvement as a whole for that side of the football.

With a potentially more efficient offense under Matt Flynn's direction, longer drives, more points, even an incremental improvement on the offensive side of the ball could mean exponential improvement on the defense as well. Every year, one or two teams flip the script and go from a 5 or 6 win team to a 9 or 10 win team, and I could see the Seahawks surprise some people. Overall though, a B-minus grade is about right for their offseason, pending some actual results from the unknowns in Irvin, Jones, and Flynn, who are, in some eyes, big gambles.

For more on the Seahawks, make sure you head to Field Gulls and join in on the discussion.

TCU's Linebacker Coach Resigns, Randy Shannon Named As Possible Replacement

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:48:14 -0000

The college football season is less than two months away but the TCU Horned Frogs are in the market for a new linebackers coach.

Tony Tademy who has been the Horned Frogs linebackers coach since 2005 abruptly resigned this past week because he said he wanted to spend more time with his family. However, sources are saying that Tademy is planning to stay in coaching and will become an assistant coach at Duncanville High School.

Tademy had held the same position at TCU since 2005 and has coached several players who went onto have careers in the NFL which include David Hawthorne, Jason Phillips, Daryl Washington and Tank Carder.

His replacement is unknown but a pair of sources say that it could be former Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon.

For more on TCU football go visit Frogs O' War, and visit SB Nation's college football hub for even more college football news.

Former Seahawk Anthony Hargrove Suspended As Part Of Saints Bounty Program

Shmuckreport — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:44:10 -0000

Defensive end Anthony Hargrove only spent one season with the Seattle Seahawks after playing the 2009 and 2010 season's with the New Orleans Saints. Now, along with three other Saints or former Saints players, Hargrove has been suspended for his participation in New Orleans' former bounty program, with Hargrove set to miss the first eight games of the 2012 season without pay for his actions.

Scott Fujita, Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith were the three other players served with a suspension, though Hargrove's was the second-harshest aside from Vilma's sentence of the whole season without pay. Vilma's absence will open up opportunity for former Seahawks linebacker David Hawthorne to get a lot of playing time, though Hargrove might be hard pressed to get any work after eight weeks on the sideline.

From the NFL's press release:

Hargrove actively participated in the program while a member of the Saints. Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program at the Saints, but also that he knew about and participated in it. The evidence showed that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of a large bounty during the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010. Hargrove also actively obstructed the league's 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.

Well that are certainly sounds pretty condemning. Could the league have gotten it wrong though? I doubt it.

In a bit of back-tracking, Hargrove released a statement about the incident back in March trying to justify some of his actions:

"I have made many mistakes in my life and have paid dearly for some of them, and the late hit and the comments [on Brett Farve] were both mistakes, in my opinion. But players all over the league do the same thing every Sunday, make late hits and say stupid things. But I can say with absolute certainty that neither the late hit nor the comment have anything whatsoever to do with the issue being so hotly discussed in the media [Bounty Scandal]."

Well Anthony, the NFL doesn't agree with you bud. Sorry.

For more on the Seahawks, head over to Field Gulls and SB Nation Seattle.

2012 NFL Free Agents: Five Seahawks On PFW Top-100 List

Jason Garrison — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:21:12 -0000

The 2012 league year begins in 10 days, on March 13 which is the first day of free agency. Until that day teams can re-sign their own players but no matter how hard they try to keep all their own talent in house, some players will inevitably showcase their talents elsewhere.

The Seattle Seahawks, who are coming off a 7-9 season in which they won five of their last eight games, are one of the teams that could benefit from signing a couple free agents would definitely help their cause in 2012 by bringing back their own guys. Pro Football Weekly recently came out with their top 100 free agents and on that list there are five potential former Seahawks.

The first on the list is running back Marshawn Lynch, who comes in at No. 17.

Lynch was the tone setter for the Seahawks' offense in 2011, rushing for a career-best 1,204 yards and 12 TDs. He is still relatively young, and his punishing style would endear him to teams looking for a tough focal point for their running game. The Seahawks figure to work to bring him back. The knocks on Lynch? He has encountered some off-field trouble in the past. Also, how much longer can he play at a high level, considering his running style?

The second Seahawks player on the list is defensive end Red Bryant, who comes in at No. 50.

A giant defensive end, Bryant is an excellent run stuffer. He is also a difference maker on special teams; note his two blocked field goals at Cleveland in a 6-3 Seattle loss last season. Though he is not much of a pass rusher, he fits Seattle's scheme very well.

The next player on the list is middle linebacker David Hawthorne, who comes in at No. 59.

Hawthorne has led the Seahawks in tackles in each of the past three seasons. The question is: Will Seattle re-sign him or veteran LB Leroy Hill? There are some questions about Hawthorne's durability.

Next is tight end John Carlson, who comes in at No. 61.

Carlson missed the 2011 season with a shoulder injury, but he has been productive when healthy. He could be a nice value signing if he is able to return to his pre-injury form.

The last Seahawks player on the list is fullback Michael Robinson, who comes in at No. 97.

The one-time collegiate quarterback earned Pro Bowl honors as a blocker in 2011. He also is an exceptional special-teams player.

The Seahawks are a quarterback away from having a solid team and competing in the NFC West. If they re-sign their own players, draft well and maybe pick up one or two free agents, they could find themselves in the playoffs in 2012.

For more on the Seahawks, head to Field Gulls.

The Seahawks Cap Situation, per Football Outsiders

Danny Kelly — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:09:33 -0000

NFL salary cap guru Brian McIntyre recently put together an excellent summary of the Seahawks roster situation for Football Outsiders, listing cap space, free agents, restricted free agents, franchise tag candidates, and potential cap casualties the team may have.

Seattle's 16 free agents and three restricted free agents - Atari Bigby, Raheem Brock, Red Bryant, John Carlson, Heath Farwell, Justin Forsett, Anthony Hargrove, David Hawthorne, Leroy Hill, Marshawn Lynch, Matt McCoy, Paul McQuistan, Michael Robinson, David Vobora, Charlie Whitehurst, Jimmy Wilkerson, Mike Gibson, Steven Hauscka, and Roy Lewis - will have a $30-$35 million dollar pie to divide up, per FO. That pie that will be significantly eaten up by the new class of draft picks, Marshawn Lynch, possibly Red Bryant, and a potential big name free agent like Mario Williams or Peyton Manning. The fact of the matter is, a lot of these players have played their last down in Seahawks blue.

McIntyre lists Marcus Trufant and Mike Williams as potential cap casualties - players that have bloated salaries and don't particularly fit in the plan down the line - and points out that Marshawn Lynch is far and away the most likely candidate for the franchise tag. It's a great look at the salary cap situation in NFC West so give it a read.