Obviously, I could not possibly be any happier about this pick. When you're interviewing people, you're supposed to be objective. Usually, it's pretty easy. But when I interviewed Curry for this two-parter (here and here), I was ready to break into the VMAC and draft him myself. There is nobody with a better mixture of talent, versatility, and character in this draft class. He will blast the backside in running plays, can edge-rush in 3-4 sets (he did it at Wake once in a while), can diagnose a screen and cover a tight end. He has come up from some really hard times and all it's done is toughen him up.  I've made the Derrick Brooks comparison before, and I think it stands. This is a special, special player who won't just do amazing things on the field -- he'll perpetuate the "character-first" idea that the Seahawks put forth.

Curry is a high-ceiling guy, which makes him different than other "safe picks" Ruskell has made in the past. Beyond that, I'm gonna need a while before I can really be analytical about this. This is a great person who is getting what he deserves, and he will bust his mortal ass to make sure the Seahawks get a guy who's worth every penny of what they're about to pay him.

I'm off to sing the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" song now...

Okay -- time for the Lightning Round. Gotta get some lunch and get ready to chat here, at FO, and at Falcon Insider. Coffee RULES!

The last three sevenths:

Bear Pascoe, TE, Fresno State. As much as you'll see spread offense tight ends who block about as well as Deion Sanders tackled, Pascoe is the polar opposite. Pascoe is 6-5, 251, and about 95 percent of that is whupass. The other five percent is Double Whupass. I want Owen Schmitt, Zack Follett, and Bear Pascoe on my special teams. AYIEEE!!! (CRASH)

Garrett Reynolds, T, North Carolina. 6-8, 309. 19 starts at right tackle. Not a lot of lateral quickness or other "nimbility", but could be an interesting project guy. Plays with a wide base, could put on a bit more weight, and though he doesn't fit a zone thing per se, he did grade out as NC's top lineman last year, according to NFLDraftScout.com. 

Jake Ingram, LS, Hawaii. I want Tim Ruskell to be the first GM in NFL history to have two kickers and two long-snappers on his 53-man roster. C'mon, Timmy -- you can do it!

For the final round, I'm sticking the last three picks on one post. However, the first seventh-rounder deserves a bit more detail.

Mike Reilly, QB, Central Washington

This is the guy who broke most of Jon Kitna's records at Central. I'll link to the WaPo article I did on him this week and direct you to two quotes -- the first made the article, and the second didn't. While Reilly's projected as a 7/UDFA, the high side could have a team using a sixth on him.

Greg Cosell of NFL Films and State Farm NFL Matchup:

"I think that as a pro prospect, (Reilly is) the fourth-best quarterback in this draft, after (Josh) Freeman, who has a ton of skills but is very raw and unrefined. But after that, Mike Reilly -- and I've watched him on film, and I've seen his only game against a Division I opponent in Montana, in addition to some other games -- I think he shows NFL attributes. I love when I read stuff that says, 'Well, the guy has an average arm.' When you watch him on film, he doesn't have an average arm. He actually has a pretty good arm. And he does the things ... I understand that it's not against top competition, but that's not the point, He's also not playing with great competition. He's playing with the same (level of) guys he's playing against. So, you look for NFL attributes, and he's got them.

"We all know he's not going to be drafted in the first two rounds, but there's a quarterback from two years ago that I really liked, named Matt Moore, who came out of Oregon State, who's now with Carolina, and I can tell you that (Panthers head coach) John Fox thinks he's going to be a starting quarterback in this league."

Reilly, on his most ardent suitor:

"The Seattle Seahawks have shown quite a bit of interest, in comparison with other teams. When I met with Coach Knapp and Coach Lazor down at the Combine, I spent a good deal of time with them -- actually before that as well, at the East-West game. I spent a good half-hour, forty-five minutes interviewing with them in a room -- it was like an office suite, and it was all Seahawks personnel.

Then, at the Combine, they interviewed me again. And they had the opportunity to see me play a couple of times over the last four years. I've had some really good talks with them. Without any guarantees, they basically said, 'Hey, we're very interested in picking up a quarterback this year. We like your style of play, and we tend to like people from the Northwest, and you fit that criteria. We're possibly looking at spending a mid-to-late round pick on a quarterback, and we're not sure when that would be, but you're definitely on our list."

In the late rounds, due diligence may be enough. Not every team is going to watch all the grainy film on all the sub-division players -- the Bengals, with their two or three scouts, won't be looking under the cushions for change. In the late rounds, when searching for hidden value, there are two obvious ways to go -- the underrated big-school guy, or the diamond in the rough. When it comes to late-round value, Tim Ruskell's idea of a small school is San Diego State, so you know where he generally stands in that argument.

Still, two teams have worked out Norfolk State cornerback Don Carey, and the Seahawks are one of them. Actually, Seattle has done the visit AND workout, which means that Carey's probably been to the VMAC, and someone from the organization has seen him on his home turf. Based on all evidence, he's a smart, hard-working, versatile player who excelled at the Shrine Game and at the Combine. The Dolphins have also displayed specific interest, which gives me additional confidence in the idea of Carey -- Bill Parcells tends to hire scouts and execs who know defense. The Steelers, who have also shown interest, know a thing or two about drafting guys on that side of the ball.

The question is, how much do the four years of starts, and the 43 games, and the 10 interceptions, mean to this front office when they happened against Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, and Florida A & M? Parcells drafted Hampton DE Kendall Langford in the third round last year, and was rewarded with a great rookie season from the unheralded player.

Ruskell's big-school bias is understandable, as is his preference for players who are as fully-formed as possible. But at some point, if you want to get the most out of it, the draft needs to be about the ability to see specific attributes in players who did things you like in situations you don't find favorable. Carey, with his personal and professional characteristics, might be the tipping point.

The Dueling Mocks -- updated feverishly for your edification!


John

• 1. Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
• 2. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
• 3. Michael Hamlin, S, Clemson
• 4. Tyronne Greene, G, Auburn
• 5. Nate Davis, QB, Ball State

Doug

• 1. Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
• 2. Louis Delmas, FS, Western Michigan
• 3. Juaquin Iglesias, WR, Oklahoma
• 4. A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn State
• 5. Zack Follett, LB, Cal
• 6. Don Carey, CB, Norfolk State

When I came home from this year's Combine, I started putting together my list of players to interview. From Curry and Sanchez to a certain quarterback you'll hear more about very soon, I got just about everyone I wanted. The guy I wanted to talk to as much as anyone, based on his Combine press conference, was a fifth-round prospect who looks like a linebacker backup/special teams hybrid. Why?

A few fast facts about Cal linebacker Zack Follett:

His hero is Terry Tate, Office Linebacker. "I get real pumped up for games. This is something I love to do, and to do it in front of 70,000 fans, plus people watching at home on an ESPN game, that gets me even more juiced. To go out and have a chance to be on ESPN like that, I think they had me miked up for the game and I was talking about the Pain Train. And growing up, Terry Tate, No. 56, the Office Linebacker, he was my hero watching those commercials. I tried to emulate him when I was out there."

He makes life-size wood carvings of himself and teammates, and hopes to market them as 3-D FatHeads. "My dad taught me when I was little. He made Christmas cutouts of Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse and stuff like that. When I was a senior, I took it to the next level. I started making wood cutouts. I did one of myself, kind of experimenting. My other linebacker partner painted it. It was a life-size replica. It's like a FatHead in an artistic style way. It came out pretty sweet. Hopefully, from an investment standpoint I'm going to open a little woodshop wherever I move and I'll make them of teammates because I know they have a lot of money to waste."

He's worked out with (and made a wood Fathead of) Ravens fullback Lorenzo Neal. "The first time I met him was my sophomore year and we had the same trainer in Fresno, and I was doing one-on-ones. He was the fullback out of the backfield, and I'd go to check him up and I'd bounce off his body. I never met somebody like that who was a human muscle, pretty much. He's an animated guy as well. He just told me to hit it at full speed. He's seen me play, and he said I wouldn't have a problem. He said hopefully we'll meet up in the hole one of these days."

Continue reading this post »

For all the Ruskell-bashing that may happen, and valid or not as it may be, it's important to note that every general manager in every sport makes mistakes. There isn't a big brain that isn't debacled once in a while if he's been at the job longer than a year. In the words of Earl Weaver, "Stick around long enough, and you'll see everything. That's why you shouldn't stick around too long."

The key to great personnel acumen isn't handling success -- it's learning from failure. At this point, Tim Ruskell's first Seattle draft pick tends to look more failure-esque. Chris Spencer has had two terms tied to his four-year career: "oft-injured" and "disappointing". At the 2005 Combine, Spencer himself said that he probably had a second-round grade projection, but Seattle pulled the trigger in the first.

Four years, a boatload of injuries, and a lot of flummoxed line calls later, it's time to see how Tim Ruskell recovers from his first mistake in Seattle. Spencer is a free agent in 2010, so consider him "on loan" for sixteen games. He won't be back. Steve Vallos is an interesting project who looked completely overmatched last year. And if you think that all seventh-round centers are clueless in their inaugural campaigns, take another look at Indy's Jamey Richard against Shaun Rogers last year.

Who's the fix?

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Never mind the bollocks -- here's the offense!

Certainly interesting that all four picks in our back-and-forth have been defensive players, but I'd imagine that John and I are both under the impression that Ruskell isn't looking to build the 2007 Patriots here -- he'd much rather have the 2002 Bucs he helped create. A dominant defense, and an offense good enough to win. So, let's talk about the aerial component of that offense. Last year's faceplant was led by two unbelievable injury waves -- an offensive line in which all five starters wound up on injured reserve, and a receiver corps that was down to nothing seemingly before the season even started.

Through the era of greatness, Seattle's air attack was defined by Bobby Engram. In the Super Bowl year, he was the team's leading receiver. He was always Matt Hasselbeck's optimal bailout guy, the one he could count on among the surface-talented, ball-dropping blockheads and 12^th-round SEC projects. But Mr. Third Down is gone. The cupboard seems to be stacked in Engram's absence, but that's only without the microscope. Nate Burleson is just as capable of inconsistent route-running as he is the highlight touchdown catch. Deion Branch is a 2-to-1 bet to lose a season after blowing a knee tripping over a blade of grass. T.J. Whosyourmama is an outstanding flanker/slot hybrid who can make the tough catch over the middle and is just as good blocking down the seam. That slot position, so crucial to whatever brand of the West Coast Offense Seattle's running these days, remains undefined.

Until now.

Continue reading this post »

The idea behind these dueling mocks is obviously to take who we think Tim Ruskell would take, but I'm somewhat conflicted with my second-round selection. There are two safeties I'm looking at. One is a 51-game college starter with ninja aggressiveness, dynamic hitting skills, and some coverage ability. He's also from a big school. The other is a 44-game starter (33 at free safety, 11 at left cornerback) with the best coverage ability in this draft class among all the safeties.  He fits the notion of interchangeable safeties that the Seahawks want and currently don't have because of the obvious Vortex of Suck. On the downside, he shares a little bit of that's Vortex's predilection for iffy tackling (he's a kamikaze), and he's from the MAC.

Contestant #1 is Patrick Chung, and Contestant #2 is Louis Delmas. I have had the good fortune to interview both of them in the last month (links on their names), and I would have no problem recommending either one from a character and intensity perspective. I think that Ruskell would prefer Chung because of specific attributes he's tended to prefer, but I'm going to write up Delmas because the pick simply makes more sense.

Continue reading this post »

I'm going to do a Seahawks mock in stages over the next day or so between projects as time permits. When it comes to the later rounds, I might list 2 or 3 guys I think might be in the wheelhouse, and pick a winner at the end. But in the first round, I think there will be a veritable tornado (or, in Dennis Miller's words, a "torcano") of activity around Seattle's fourth pick, and I think this activity will lead to an inevitability.

This is the highest draft pick Tim Ruskell hopes he ever has, and it's his legacy on the line now. He's into safety - he traded for Deion Branch because he was concerned about the bust rate for receivers. His love of multi-year starters from big schools is well-known. In his heart, Ruskell has to know that when it comes to player eval, he's operating at a deficit on the offensive side of the ball. What he needs with that fourth overall pick is a guy at a position he evaluates very well, with no real downside, that everyone in Seattle will fall in love with at first sight.

Continue reading this post »

...and why you should, too.

Before I get going on this post, I should reveal two biases. I am of the opinion that Mike Mayock of the NFL Network is in the same class as Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com when it comes to draft analysis, and most everyone else is riding in the back seat. I like these guys the most because they don't just watch tape -- they also talk like they watch tape. There is an easy familiarity with advanced concepts and individual attributes that comes from digging deep on the research end. Still, they both manage to escape the buzzwords and make it interesting, which is valuable when you're discussing the difference between the 11^th and 12^th-best nose tackles in a draft class. So, I'm a huge Mayock fan.

In addition, I think that Mark Sanchez will be the best NFL quarterback in this draft class when all is said and done, because of two hesitations teams may have about him. First, that he's only had 16 starts, which could scare off a number of the teams who need a quarterback RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW!!! Second, the thought that because of his non-howitzer arm, he's a system quarterback. This may scare off many teams who want a quarterback that is more "moldable", with a more raw and less intangible skill set, than someone like Matt Stafford. The odds favor Sanchez going to a team that a.) Won't start him right away, barring an act of God; and b.) Will have or develop an offensive system that meets his needs and abilities. The road is littered with quarterback prospects who came to the NFL, only to find that they had the "right key, baby, but the wrong keyhole." (Thank you, Steven Tyler).

Now ... With those two caveats out of the way, I wanted to share a few quotes from Mayock's conference call with the media on April 15. He was asked specifically about Sanchez several times, and here are the highlights:

Continue reading this post »

Exclusive interview feature here. More on this guy over the weekend as I run a mock up the flagpole, but the vitals are as follows:

51 college starts at age 21.

Played the rover position, which, as Chung told me, is "Safety/corner/linebacker all rolled into one. You have to cover tight ends, cover slot receivers, play in the box, Cover-2 and Cover-3 and you are pretty much the guy who covers the whole field." It's a nice skill set for a defense that will demand versatility.

Looked good at the Senior Bowl, Combine, and his Pro Day. The latter event had Seattle DC Gus Bradley running the drills, and Chung nailed his coverage assignments, by all accounts.

Yesterday's events obviously extended and altered various trade scenarios in this year's draft, and we have to guess at this point when it comes to Seattle's perception of safety as a need. Still, this one wouldn't surprise me at all.

From my good friend Brian McIntyre, who charts games for FO, keeps Mac's Football Blog, and works with me at Falcon Insider:

One of the conditions the Seattle Seahawks had before agreeing to trade linebacker Julian Peterson to the Detroit Lions for Corey Redding and a 5th round pick was Redding's willingness to restructure the 5-years and $32.225 million dollars he had remaining on the 7-year, $49 million contract he signed with the Lions in 2007.

And they've restructured the hell out of it.

Continue reading this post »

First of all, I wanted to take this opportunity to send a few kudos Mr. Morgan's way for the Stafford scouting report. It echoed many of my own concerns and illustrated a few new ones. Bravo, good sir.

Second, I recently interviewed Ohio State's Brian Robiskie for the Washington Post, and came away as impressed as I expected to be. A coach's son, he's the progeny of former Raiders and Dolphins running back Terry, who's been coaching in the NFL since 1982. And like his dad, Robiskie is a cerebral football guy who loves the game. That's what happens when you grow up with first-person role models like Tim Brown and Marcus Allen.

Robiskie is projected as a second-round pick (NFLDraftScout.com currently projects him 37th overall, right in that wheelhouse), and while the Housh signing would seem to eliminate the receiver position as a need at that point, it will be interesting to see what happens if he's there and the BPA.

I think there has always been a bias against receivers who are smart, and run routes correctly, when it comes to pure on-field quickness. I think that Robiskie is painted with a ceiling that's lower than he may actually have. One quote in particular stood out from my interview with him:

Continue reading this post »

From the NFL:

A total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2009 NFL Draft have been awarded to 16 teams, the NFL announced today.

Under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four.  The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 224 choices in the seven rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft (April 25-26).  This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors.  The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council.  Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula. 

One club this year (Arizona) will receive a compensatory pick even though it did not suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents last year.  Under the formula, the compensatory free agents Arizona lost were ranked higher than the ones it signed (by a specified point differential based upon salary and performance).

Thirty compensatory picks were awarded to clubs based upon the compensatory pick formula.  By rule, two additional choices were awarded at the end of the seventh round to bring the total number of compensatory selections to 32, equaling the number of NFL clubs.  The two additional picks were awarded to Detroit and Kansas City based upon the 2009 draft selection order.  (Note: St. Louis and Kansas City finished 2008 with identical records.  St. Louis chooses second in all odd rounds and Kansas City chooses second in all even rounds.  Once compensatory picks have been awarded according to the formula, draft selection order is followed to assign any remaining picks, and for this purpose, the assignment of the pick is made as if it were the eighth round, so Kansas City is awarded the choice.)

 The Seahawks get three picks in the seventh round -- 245th, 247th, and 248th overall. Hey, maybe they can draft a couple more kickers and really gum up the roster!

Here's how the formula works for Seattle:

 Colbert was sort of lost and signed at the same time, but there you go.

We're not in the habit of link-dumping at Field Gulls, and I'm not going to start here. I'm simply going to point out that I was fortunate enough to interview Aaron Curry last week for a Washington Post feature, that he is everything people say he is from a personality and character standpoint, and that he is a very, VERY special player who could dominate at the NFL level in different schemes and positions. It's not often that the best player in a draft at the time of a draft (which I believe he is) could very well be the best of that draft class five years down the road, but I think we're dealing with just that type of cat in this case.

Why? Because there isn't much he can't do, and his skills can fit somewhere in just about any defensive system. I have jokingly referred to Curry as "Leroy Hill with Pass Coverage 2.0 installed", which is really a discredit to Hill's downhill defense and to Curry's ability to play in space. While Hill is a great forward-motion player who has learned through painstaking work how to backpedal and get things done functionally in short areas, Curry is just as agile as he is destructive.

Continue reading this post »

Per Adam Caplan of Scout.com. He'll make a base of $1.75 million, and incentives could push it up to $2.5 million. He was an odd fit here under Mora/Knapp, just as Duckett was the third wheel under Holmgren. I nicknamed him "Hydrant" at his first training camp because, well, he looked like one.

Godspeed, Mr. Weaver. Do it up right.

via thedawgpost.com (Dean Legge)

Yep -- that's the old scout to Mike Mayock's left, taking in Georgia's Pro Day. According to DawgPost.com's Dean Legge, Stafford, Moreno, Mohamed Massaquoi and Asher Allen all did well. Every NFL team was there (you can see that the Seahawks crew numbered at least two) and about 70 members of the media.

Just come back with something more than David Greene this time, sir. That's all we ask.

Well, it could have something to do with this. From Harold Lewis, Weaver's agent, who wants his client to be paid like a tailback:

"He's an excellent receiver, runner, and blocker. The fullback pay scale doesn't reflect his talents. We're just trying to find the right situation and the right contract. We can always go back to Seattle, because they'd like to have him back."

Hold up there, lil' buckeroo. Weaver is a solid playmaking fullback who brings possible H-back threats into the right offense, A good third-down guy with some weapon options. But let's backtrack to February 18, when Lewis told a different tale:

"As far as him staying in Seattle, I'm sure Leonard would be very happy," Lewis told Pro Football Weekly. "But just being a realist, I don't see it."

You can imagine how well stuff like that would go over with the Eagles, who aren't exactly "bendy" when it comes to player value -- ask Brian Dawkins. In the end, I think Weaver will be paid like exactly what he is, Seattle will probably cut the check, and Harold Lewis will have expended a lot of hot air for nothing. 

Per Schefter, as is seemingly everything these days. Terms unknown, two more years of Big Die Slow. Me likey. The Redskins and Raiders were in the mix -- Sando reports that Washington offered him a starting right tackle shot, and he obviously turned it down. In my mind, this is the move that makes Sean Locklear the short-term incumbent at left tackle, pending Superman's knee, a move I don't really like in the long term, but remember that Locklear has incentives built into his contract based on time at left tackle. The Seahawks have seen this coming.

So. what does this do for Seattle's line in the big picture? Do they take the elite tackle at 4, grooming him under the best player in the history of the franchise, and use Locklear as the left tackle spackle? Or does Willis shade in at guard or provide depth? The terms will tell us a lot, but I can't imagine Willis turning down a potential starting spot with a near-playoff team to come back to Em City for a below-the-fold role.

In lieu of tape-watching, which I wish I had time to do tonight on Seattle's newest receiver, I asked a friend for his take. Former NFL scout Tom Marino helped build the Greatest Show on Turf that Seattle fans hated so much -- specifically, he scouted Drew Bennett for the Rams and talked Martz & Co. into Marc Bulger, who Tom had scouted when he was with the Saints. Tom goes back far enough to have worked with Mora the Elder, and keeps his eye sharp enough to know all about James L. as well. Here's his short take on Houwshamazilli:

He was a real (word that rhymes with Masspole) in high school and JuCo, but hasn't been a problem since (that I know of anyway). They were barely able to get him into Oregon State based on his academic standing. He is exactly how you described him (an inside receiver in a queen set).  He has been a successful #2 for most of his career, but on a winning program he is a three.  He mis-matches inside defenders (nickel backs) and is also an effective red zone receiver. 

Doug, I don't think he runs like he used to, but last season I still thought he was able to separate vertically.  He also adjusts to the deep ball well.  He has never been a nifty guy after the catch, but he has strong hands, is experienced and can catch on contact.

From my buddy Bill Huber at Packer Report. Try and contain your excitement...

Cole is a career backup because he's at least OK at everything but doesn't excel at anything. He's good against the run, but even at 6-foot-1 and 330 pounds, he gets pushed around on occasion. His career sack total isn't anything special, but he did manage to get some pressure regularly. Few players work as hard as Cole, and his intelligence is an asset in that he rarely takes himself out of position. The Packers wanted to bring him back because he has value as a nose tackle and a defensive end in a 3-4, and would have provided depth at all three positions. Pair him with a quality tackle, and Cole would be a nice addition. If you're counting on him to be the guy up front, you'll be disappointed.

Pewter Report has the scoop -- the Bucs have re-signed receiver Michael Clayton to a new five-year contract. The interesting part of the story is that Clayton turned down more money from Seattle to stay in Tampa Bay.

I'm not sure how much money Clayton got, the deal being very new and all, but this seems to be to be as good a bullet-dodge as there is, and yet another ding in my opinion of Tim Ruskell's ability to evaluate receivers. Clayton hasn't posted a positive DVOA since his rookie season of 2004, has been outplayed by Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard and Antonio Bryant in the last few seasons, and isn't even a lock to start despite the new deal. And Tampa Bay's receiver situation isn't much better than Seattle's - Pewter Report also mentions that a certain Mr. T.J. Whosyourmama will visit Tampa in the near future.

Sometimes, you succeed by not getting what you think you want. This, I suspect, is an example of that particular phenomenon.

UPDATE: According to the St. Petersburg Times, Clayton got five years, $10.5 million guaranteed, and as much as $26 million based on certain incentives. Here's an intresting wrinkle:

Tampa Bay's 2004 first-round pick agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Bucs, who stepped in with a lucrative deal just as Clayton was preparing to make a free agent visit to Seattle. He was 90 minutes from boarding a flight Saturday when the Bucs called and the sides struck an agreement in principle.

Again, ***whew***. Now, "free-agent visit" doesn't sound like an offer of more money than Tampa Bay was offering, unless the Seahawks had to promise to up the ante just to get Clayton on the plane. Pewter Report isn't generally wrong, but I really hope they are this time.

And as far as what the market will bear, consider that the Lions just signed former Cardinals and 49ers receiver Bryant Johnson to a three-year, $9 million deal. Not that Johnson would be some great fit for Seattle - he's pretty much a straight-line guy. But both Johnson and Clayton were disappointing first round picks -- Johnson in 2003 and Clayton in 2004, and there's very little difference in career production even when you include Clayton's outlier of a rookie season:

Per-season averages:

Johnson: 43 catches, 537 yards, 2 TD
Clayton: 41 catches, 541 yards, 1.8 TD

If the Bucs want to overpay for limited production at the wide receiver position, that's their problem -- actually, it's been their problem for a very long time. But if Ruskell, who was obviously part of that problem in Tampa Bay, hasn't learned from those mistakes, there's trouble in the Emerald City.

As reported by John Clayton, Damnit. Bernard was, at one point, an elite or near-elite pass-rushing tackle. Part of his hidden value is that he always had a nice stop rate, though 2008 was the exception. The deal with the Jints is five years, $25 million, guaranteed money unknown.

Having signed Bernard and former Atlanta linebacker Michael Boley, New York is adding two players with abilities that fit their defense. Boley was a square peg in Atlanta's less aggressive defense in 2008, to the point that he was benched on first and second downs late in the season. Bernard goes from a defensive line with a great many questions to a line with a lot of very loud answers.

Update by John Morgan: The feeling among Seahawks fans is that Bernard had a down season. He certainly wasn't as disruptive as season's past. But defensive tackle is as likely as any position to suffer from a complete team failure. Bernard faced fewer favorable positions and fewer favorable matchups than seasons past.

The basic scouting report on Bernard is intact. He's quick off the ball and a strong single gap tackle. He never quits. A signature Bernard pass play involves a blur of activity off the snap; the opposing quarterback lazily making his progressions before Big Rock explodes from the scrum and hammers him mid-release. He's lost a bit of his closing speed, but he's still agile enough to follow a quarterback on a roll out.

Bernard has developed into more of a gap control tackle. He can hold the line very well, even against double teams, and though he doesn't crash the line like Mebane, he can shed and stop against most guards and centers. He's a good run defender, both in his ability to tackle running backs and to keep blockers off his linebackers.

Defensive tackles who can rush the passer, hold the point and tackle opposing backs are rare and valuable. Red Bryant has a lot to live up to.

It's not enough to get busted for our Reginald ... whoa, no. No, best to get stopped on a DWI AND get caught with weed. On the opening day of free agency. And now the dream of Reggie catching four-yard slants with no YAC on third-and-8 for the Seahawks simply fade into the distance...

Covering the Combine from the inside is surreal enough, but things get really special if you're one of about 60 writers allowed to head into one of the boxes at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday morning or afternoon to watch one of two quarterback/receiver workouts. For the second straight year, I got to go in, was assigned a player to write about as a contribution to a pool report (this year I doubled up), and spent the next two hours or so observing the players on the field and the scouts, coaches and execs in the stands.

I sat next to Eric Wililams of the Tacoma News Tribune. Eric (who's doing a great job over there, by the way) put his pool report up, and I thought I'd do the same.

My quarterback was Purdue's Curtis Painter:

Good size and muscle definition. Very slow start to both of his 40s -- came out of the blocks with a distinct pause. His 10- and 20-yard splits are not going to be pretty. Had a very upright throwing motion on the gauntlet -- threw too high a few times.

Painter has a great ability to adjust his throws to his receiver's speed - he matched up well with different receivers on different routes. On the deep in from the 15 to the 35, the timing was a bit off on the first and fine on the second. Both of his 30-yard outs were great accurate arc on the ball and the receivers didn't have to slow down or adjust their turns. He was 1 for 2 on the 45-yard go and the 10-yard corner, but had nice timing on both 12-yard curl/comebacks. Two great throws on the post corner routes -- again, excellent timing and sense of receiver speed.

My receiver was Oregon's Jaison Williams:

Williams' size seems to work against him -- he has good definition and strength, but struggles on any route requiring any level of quickness. His two 40s were marked by solid starts, choppy steps and an upright stance.

On the short sideline comeback, he was slow with the cut and too deliberate with the tap-tap before out of bounds. On the 30-yard go route, he almost came to a dead stop when turning around to track the ball. He just isn't comfortable with speed. Slow on the gauntlet, dropped a few passes, struggled to stay on the line, and again was deliberate at the sideline. On the 10-yard out with cut at the 25, he was cleaner with the cut but dropped a tough but catchable ball. He did a good cut on the 35-yard deep in and dropped a ball eight in his hands. Choppy route on the 12-yard curl/comeback. He jumped to the ball too soon on the 30-yard post corner -- if he'd kept running, he would have caught the ball in stride.

NFLDraftScout.com sees Painter as a late-second-day pick, if draftable at all. And there are serious questions about the NFL viability of a guy who can't blow it up even with the training wheels that the spread offense provides. Still, I can't help but wonder if Painter's ability to adjust accurately to his circumstances might not help him in some way.

NFLDS saw Williams as a maddening underachiever -- I saw a guy with tight end size who was about as mobile as Floyd Womack. In a word, yikes.

If you go to the WaPo Twitter feed, you'll see a link to an audio piece I did this afternoon with Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune about the changes in Seattle's coaching staff. Thanks to Eric for doing that before he took off! Also some new thoughts from Rob Rang that I just put up.

I need to write pool reports for Jaison Williams and Curtis Painter, then get the FO Combine report going before heading to the airport in a few hours. About done from here, and I wish I could start this four-day period all over again. I feel that way every year...

He was just at the podium -- brief statement. No questions allowed.

"I'm coming here today involving my injury report.

It's an old injury, I've never had any pain in it.

I will run my 40, then I'll have the surgery,

and I look forward to going to the next level."

I'll be in the second group, where he'll be. Should be interesting...

I'm flying out of Indy tonight (Boo!), but feel free to check Sunday's events out on my Washington Post Twitter Feed. Also, here's Saturday's FO Combine Report. This morning, I'll be watching one of two QB/WR drills inside the stadium with 59 other writers.

Line notes for now -- he just concluded his presser. More later when I have the transcript.

The Seahawks are not starting from scratch -- to many good things have happened.

He most enjoys the time with players -- favorite thing about the Combine is the interview process.

Ruston Webster conducts the interviews.

Being a head coach is much different -- less X-and-O and more big picture.

This is cool -- five members of Seattle's coaching staff are conducting position drills.

Key to a quick turnaround? Establishing a high level of energy.

Quick turnaround -- second key to it is a quick start. ATL went 4-0 to start in his NFC Championship season...

Leroy Hill -- they didn't want to lose him, vote of confidence, good-faith negotiations are proceeding.

He's all about making the current players play better.

Crabtree height -- 6-1 1/3, but 34 1/2" arms and 10" hands. "That makes up for it"

Spread offense guys -- standard conversion complaints, but he added that tight ends are now offering to send NFL teams practice film of them blocking one-on-one.

Need or BPA? At #4, it's BPA. Too early to talk about trading down.

Since the new coaches are installing their schemes, the Seahawks are leaning more heavily on their scouts then they will in the future. Coaches and scouts have had position parameter meetings -- specific attributes per position so that everyone's on the same page.

Laying back and watching Holmgren for two years was big for him -- learning at the feet of the master, so to speak. He really appreciated Holmgren's ability to balance compassion for the players with the ability to whomp necessary ass. 

I'll try and pop in later today depending on what's happening. Like I said, more on the Mora thing tonight.