This is a brainstorm list of ideas how Seattle can cope with the loss of Bobby Engram. Egnram can't be placed on the PUP list and therefore counts as a "dead" man until he is able to return. That, obviously, is a bit of a kick in the teeth.

PUP List Deion Branch

Branch could return at the start of the season. It's not likely, but the notion is swirling, so it must be accounted for. With Engram out, it is now that much more important that Seattle prudently places Branch on the PUP list. That might sound counterintuitive. Branch is, after all, a wide receiver on a team in need. But two things must be considered.

First, Seattle is not in a position where they have gross wide receiver needs. Seattle has net wide receiver needs. They don't need wide receivers on the roster, they need wide receivers that can play and contribute. If Branch rushes his recovery, he might reinjure himself. An injured Branch is a second dead player. Better then to put Branch on the PUP list and activate him later in the season, when he has a better chance to maintain health and a better chance to contribute.

Second, going forward, Seattle shouldn't count on contributions from Engram or Branch. For the entirety of the 2008 season, Branch will be less than a year removed from surgery. Even if he can meet the minimum requirements to take the field, that does not guarantee effectiveness. Branch should not be counted on to contribute this season. Engram, 35, has already suffered the first of what could be a slew of career ending injuries. Engram should not be counted on to contribute this season.

Free up a roster spot and give Branch the best chance of maintaining health by placing him on the PUP list.

Take a Hard, Merciless Look at Logan Payne

Without an accrued season in the NFL, and only one season on the practice squad, Payne should be eligible for a second tour of duty. But that same spot could go to Michael Bumpus. Does Seattle take up a quarter of its practice squad with wide receivers? And how then do you fill out the other six spots? Certainly depth at offensive line is a must. Depth at defensive line and in the secondary is always wise. How about Brandon Coutu should Seattle think Olindo Mare their best bet this season? Retaining Joe Newton could allow for Seattle to keep only two tight ends on roster. Justin Forsett must be retained somehow. It might be that Seattle must sincerely consider what they have with Logan Payne and if his potential is worth retaining. He's not a contributor on special teams. And his value was always weighted more towards producing now than potential. If Payne can't earn his spot in the preseason, it might be best to cut him or place him on IR.

Start Ben Obomanu at Slot, Sub with Bumpus

As is, Courtney Taylor is likely to play flanker. Among Seattle's remaining wide receivers, Obomanu, Payne and Bumpus are best suited for Engram's slot duties. Accounting for skill set, performance, health and experience, that should read Obomanu, Bumpus and then Payne. Obo should play with the first team offense. He's not really like Engram, not surgical carving zones, not steady converting receptions, but he does have the minimum skills needed with some nice addendums: speed, agility and big play ability. Bumpus offers Seattle its best shot of Engram 2. He has good hands and an ability to read zones, and though Bumpus isn't fast, it's reasonable to think he's at least on par with the contemporary Bobby Engram. Put it to the test. Throw both into the fire and see who survives. Give each a half of strictly slot play. If Bumpus plays well in the second half, see if he can do it with the first unit. If Payne can take the field, throw him right out there with the first unit and see if he survives. The key is, audition the three strictly playing the slot. Without Bobby, the luxury of open tryouts is lost. Someone on this team must be able to produce now, and it's best that's decided in the preseason.

Rework your Base Offense

On Friday, Seattle employed 3 wide on 33 plays, mostly in both 3 WR, I and 3WR, TE, RB. Seattle relied heavily on those formations last season, in its pass first offense. A healthy and productive Bobby Engram, an old and regularly spelled tight end and a non-existent run game forced the move. Well, things have changed, and what were once weaknesses are now strengths and what were once strengths are now weaknesses. Depending on what Taylor shows and how Obo develops, John Carlson is Seattle's second to fourth best receiver. Theoretically, 2 WR, TE, I is the formation Mike Holmgren prefers. He maximized it in 2005, deftly exploiting its balanced qualities, and riding it to career seasons by Jerramy Stevens, Joe Jurevicius and Shaun Alexander. It's time to dust off the old playbook, because the talent is again better suited to Holmgren's former, more structurally conservative formation.

Entertain Signing a Veteran

It's clear Tim Ruskell believes in continuity. Continuity of talent. Continuity of evaluation. And continuity of leadership. That's one reason Seattle hasn't been involved in many rent a player contracts and why potentially helpful additions like Terry Glenn and Eric Parker have been ignored. But now is not the time for rigidity. Seattle's young corps has earned some respect, but should they flub or Taylor's hamstring (etc.) flare up, it would be foolish not to consider adding a hired gun; another option to the mix to keep Seattle from making any rash moves (like rushing Branch) or being hamstrung by a particularly underperforming unit. A mid priced free agent helps Seattle win now without mortgaging the future.

This is a look at five Seahawks that will be drafted in nearly every league and one that won't but should be. I've compared their ESPN and Yahoo rankings to what I foresee as their actual value and offer and opinion of if they're a good buy.

Continue reading this post »

Again Danny O'neil is the quickest draw in the land, and again that leaves him standing alone.

Seahawks Blog

Kelly Jennings played great coverage on a deep pass thrown to Bobby Engram during a seven-on-seven passing drill ...

This caught my eye because I think Jennings is about perfectly suited to shutdown Bobby Engram. Good cover, good reaction, great speed/quickness and enough strength. Obviously, then, it doesn't take much strength. I'll discuss this in greater detail during the podcast, but whatever Engram did last season, he's not who Seattle want to run their passing offense through.

A pass intended for Logan Payne was defended well by safety Jordan Babineaux. The ball hit Payne's hands, but it was the defense on the play that caused the incompletion. And had it been a game, Payne probably would have gotten clobbered by another safety in the middle ...

Can we call this the perfunctory Payne mention? And sorry Logan, if you can't hold onto the ball after impact, you don't have great hands. With my confidence in Payne's potential at an all-time low and Taylor MIA, I think the time to find depth at wide receiver is now.

Talkin' Hawks

PLAYS OF THE DAY
Offense: Pro Bowl tackle Walter Jones came off his block to chip Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson, which allowed running back Julius Jones to get around the corner and up the sideline.

Sounds like a well executed play. Given that it's Walter Jones and all, that's not news. Actually, I included this quote to applaud Clare Farnsworth. It's nice to see a subtle line-play get recognized.

Defense: Second-year defensive tackle Brandon Mebane got the best of veteran guard Mike Wahle not once but twice on the same play. Mebane blew up a running play by beating Wahle with an explosive inside move, forcing Wahle to grab him. Wahle demonstrated his frustration by slamming his hand on the turf and bellowing an expletive.

Last season, Wahle and Mebane fought to a stalemate. This season, it sounds like Mebane is taking over. I think Wahle will improve some this season, in better overall offensive line, alongside Walter Jones, and another year removed from major shoulder surgery, but recovering, regaining form, is never going to be a match for the natural growth of a young player. Not all young players improve as they enter their prime, but most do. And promising young players who really shined often take a major step their second season. That's how I cast Mebane, young, humble, full of potential, drive and just tapping his physical potential.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Jim Mitchell wants to know if Charlie Frye can be that third quarterback who will finally allow the Seahawks to use backup Seneca Wallace as a situational receiver/runner/retruner – to the point where he catches 3-5 passes a game?

A: In a word, no. While Frye continues to show improvement in mastering the offense, he also continues to torment the coaches with his inconsistency.

That was apparent Wednesday, when he overthrew a receiver in the end zone – in an against-air drill where there are no defenders. Then, during the scrimmage that ended the morning practice, Frye hooked up with rookie tight end John Carlson for a 17-yard completion, but also threw a pass to Logan Payne that was intercepted by Kevin Hobbs – after not going to his wide-open primary receiver for some reason.

I think we can safely say Frye is a requisite third string quarterback who must improve to be serviceable. Unlike Hasselbeck, who can produce through inferior weapons because of a great read and good accuracy, Frye will produce slightly below the level of his weapons. In Seattle, that's bad.

With the 35th overall pick in the first ever Seahawks All-Time Fantasy Draft, the Springfield Mudbones select...

 
via Seattle Times

Offense/Defense

Split End	Slot	Left Tackle	Left Guard	Center	Right Guard	Right Tackle	Tight End	Flanker
Nate Burleson Ben Obomanu Jordan Kent	Ben Obomanu LoganPayne	Walter Jones Sean Locklear FloydWomack	Mike Wahle Rob Sims MansfieldWrotto	Chris Spencer Chris Gray Steve Vallos	Rob Sims Chris Gray RayWillis	Sean Locklear Ray Willis SteveVallos	John Carlson Jeb Putzier Will Heller	Bobby Engram Courtney Taylor DeionBranch

Fullback	Quarterback	Running Back
Leonard Weaver Owen Schmitt David Kirtman	Matt Hasselbeck Seneca Wallace Charlie Frye	Julius Jones Maurice Morris TJ Ducket JustinForsett

I don’t know what the average number of injuries, their severity and to what positions is typical for an NFL team, or even if that information would be informative. I do know that when a team suffers an injury to a starter, their replacement is usually worse. So when I say that the Seattle Seahawks were abnormally lucky with injuries in 2007, it’s not because I know that they suffered fewer or less severe injuries than should be expected. It’s because when the team lost Chuck Darby, Shaun Alexander and Mack Strong, each was replaced with a superior player. We cannot expect a similar turn of fortune in 2008.

Predicting injuries can be dicey. Older players are typically more susceptible to injury than younger players, but certain members of Seattle’s geriatric have an out. Walter Jones is a future Hall of Famer whose play, ability to protect his body and resulting excellent and consistent health is alike his enshrined peers. Matt Hasselbeck has enjoyed good health most of his career, and the injuries that commonly befall quarterbacks are decidedly of the freak, unpredictable type. As for the rest…

Rocky Bernard: Turned 29 April 19, Bernard is not “old” for a defensive tackle. He has a lengthy recent history of minor injuries. Bernard missed the final two games of 2007, but mostly as a precaution. In the past two seasons, Bernard has transitioned from a quick single-gap tackle to more of a run stuffing two-gap tackle. That’s not unlike “old player skills” in baseball.

My Guess: Will miss time, could suffer lingering ineffectiveness.

DT Depth: Excellent

Bobby Engram: Engram is an old 35, having turned 35 before Seattle’s season even ended. Engram enjoyed/endured a career high in receptions in 2007. The last time he surpassed 70 receptions in a season (1999), he played only three games the following season. Good overall health most of his career, he’s missed time in only 6 of 13 seasons.

My Guess: Will miss significant time in 2008.

WR Depth: Poor

Patrick Kerney: He doesn’t turn 32 until December 30. Kerney missed 7 games in 2006 after suffering a torn right pectoral muscle tackling tight end Steve Heiden—the only 7 games Kerney has missed throughout his career. Only 12 injury mentions in 9 year career, Kerney is known for his excellent conditioning and health.

My Guess: Will not miss time.

DE Depth: Very Good

Julian Peterson: It’s hard to believe he will turn 30 July 28. Peterson is among the most athletic players in the NFL. He missed 11 games in 2004 after tearing his Achilles tendon and was visibly slowed in 2005. Peterson plays a little fast and loose, sometimes putting his body in dangerous spots.

My Guess: Should age gracefully, could miss significant time.

LB depth: Very Poor

Brian Russell: Russell turned 30 two days after the Giants won the Super Bowl. Both facts are a little hard to believe. Russell entered the league in 2001, having none of the tools that get a player drafted, much less invited to the combine. But unlike so many fast, quick, muscular busts, Russell has parlayed a good work ethic and some football savvy into a respectable career. Unfortunately, when age hits the tools, the tool-less are especially crippled. Russell’s extremely conservative play might spare him excess wear and opportunities for injury, but should Russell get hurt, he could quickly slide into an Alexandrian late-career black hole.  Non-contact, running strains, like hamstring or groin pulls, could be enough make Russell a true liability.

My Guess: Should avoid injury; can’t afford not to.

S Depth: Average

I love the Seahawks. I’ve got it so bad, it’s starting to exclude other loves: reading, the Mariners, music. But there’s love and there’s creepy, suffocating obsession. That’s why June is just murder for me. I don’t worry every niggling detail about the Hawks respective public lives. Who spoke where or donated money to what. Great, it’s great you do that, but the point of charity is not recognition. I don’t mistake a hack for fact no matter the size of their megaphone. So, mind me if I ignore your unit rankings, draft grades and division predictions. And—this one isn’t going to win me any friends—I loathe the game of telephone I must endure to get some sense of what’s happening at mini-camp. I can’t understand how every report is so spare and convoluted. The experience has only bolstered my resolve to get up to Training Camp this summer.

Despite a mess of news, very little has occurred between the draft and now that will impact the 2008 season. Nevertheless, it’s what we have, so without further prickish, self-rightousness here’s some short responses to trifling matters.

Bobby Engram: Engram attended mandatory mini-camp in May and has since skipped Seattle’s voluntary mini-camps. That tells you about everything you need to know, doesn’t it? Engram is attempting to get a pay raise. Holding out is about his only leverage as he’s all but worthless on the open market. When it mattered, when it was mandatory, Engram showed. There’s a ~0% chance that Engram misses any part of the season. Engram’s as seasoned as curry powder and a virtuoso in Holmgren’s West Coast, so missing mini-camp is really just saving his body some wear and tear, reducing the chance he suffers an injury pre-season and allowing the Seahawks foursome of young receivers some extra snaps with the first team offense. Win-win-win-win, right? Non-story.

Red Bryant: Bryant is blowing guys up in non-contact drills. You kind of expect a big guy to do that when everyone’s running half speed. There was a big foofaraw about Bryant blowing up Justin Forsett a week back, ignoring the fact that Bryant wasn’t supposed to collide with Forsett and Forsett was blindsided. There’s very little within that exchange that should encourage anyone about Bryant or Bryant’s ability. Bryant’s got a temper on him and it sounds a bit like he’s running a little less half-speed than those around him. Bryant was and continues to be an excellent talent. His presence brings might to an otherwise mighty flimsy second team tackle unit, but I encourage everyone not read too terribly much into his performance so far. The good news is he’s playing hard. The rest we can revisit in the preseason.

Injuries: No one except Deion Branch is injured. It’s pointless to scrutinize a player’s every bruise, bump or arthroscopic surgery. I think that final one worries people a bit, perhaps because arthroscopic surgery often precedes something far more dramatic. Arthroscopic surgery, by itself, is not a cause for concern.

This is what it looks like

via www.yorkshirekneeclinic.co.uk

And this is what it does:

During an average knee arthroscopy, a small fiberoptic camera (the endoscope) is inserted into the joint through a small incision, about 4 mm (1/8 inch) long. A special fluid is used to visualize the joint parts. More incisions might be performed in order to check other parts of the knee. Then other miniature instruments are used and the surgery is performed.

When Rob Sims undergoes Arthroscopic knee surgery May 6 and is potentially able to participate in a June mini-camp, there’s no reason to worry about his health.

Did I miss anything? The team has cycled a few free agents, none of which have stuck. It’s tough being without the Seahawks for a few months, but scraps, hype and hard worrying about non-stories is hardly a substitute for a Tatupu obliteration or a Trufant pick-6. So I’m going to give my beloved some breathing room, but the blog will go on. Football Explained returns tomorrow. We’ll zip through the three linebacker positions this week and next week will be dedicated to explaining the workings of the Seahawks front seven. Lots of diagrams, real plays, and second by second breakdowns of how things went down. Maybe something else, I’m working on it with Scruffy Lefty. Stencil will continue to yuck it up about the stuff I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot clown pole, and should anything real come down, like news, we’ll be around.

Bobby Engram

Stats

Highlights

Lowlights

Outlook

TBA

*Includes all games minus Week 10, Divisional Round and the second half of Week 3 and the first half of week 1.

Highlights

1/5/08

Weapons Grade Plutonium: A lot of things went right to allow Weaver to rush 17 yards for the score. Foremost, Weaver is an excellent rusher for a fullback. After the snap, Spencer pulls out, but doesn't engage his man. Nevertheless, his presence still functions as a pick, with which Weaver exploits perfectly, running behind Spencer until he has a clear angle to the right, then cutting towards the sideline. That's where Engram is performing a very determined downfield block. Not dominant, and maybe not even legal, but the officials were extremely permissive of holds, and what Engram did was by no means the the worst display of holding I saw in this quarter. (That would be Stephon Heyer grabbing a hold of Kerney's jersey and then falling backwards to the ground, taking Kerney with him.) At this point it's all up to Weaver to smell endzone, and he's does so admirably. Even getting airborne to cross the pylon.

Lowlights

N/A

Outlook

Engram embodies the scouting versus statistics dilemma in the NFL. For the average fan, Engram was little more than Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite target on dink and dunk patterns underneath. An informed analyst would put him, ability wise, behind 30+ pro receivers, including teammate Deion Branch. In 100+ hours of tape study, scrutinizing the Seahawks season, player by player, play by play, I found one measly stinking highlight for Bobby Engram - blocking. But not a single lowlight. That seems to be the key to Engram’s success. He won’t reel-in a pass one handed running full speed the other direction on a crossing pattern, a la Bernard Berrian, but on 70% of the passes targeting him, flanked by the likes of Ben Obomanu and Nate Burleson for much of the season, he converted the pass, improved Seattle’s down and distance, moved the chains and through a series of 134 paper cuts, eviscerated the opposing defense. In 2007, Hasselbeck’s Defense-adjusted Points Above Replacement were an admirable 78.0, 8th in the NFL. Bobby Engram received for 32.0 of those points, 7th. Is his value an extension of Mike Holmgren’s play calling and play design, Hasselbeck’s read and the time provided by Seattle’s offensive line? Certainly. How much? I have no idea.

I don’t foresee Engram holding out, but I do think it’s as inevitable as 4th Wave Eletroniska he’ll miss time with injury. Seattle suffered no appreciable loss in the 4 ½ weeks an Engram-less, but otherwise full strength Seahawk’s passing attack bombarded the field in 2006. Engram might be slot receiver incarnate in Holmgren’s blend of the West Coast, but the problem with working an idiot-proof job is that when you fall sick, it’s quickly apparent someone else can spread the onion mayo on the Jumbo Jacks just as well. And with all do respect to Bobby Engram, one of the steadiest players in the NFL and a rock in a mercurial wide receiver corps, an honest evaluation of who needs who more is due.

Clare Farnsworth has substantiated what Frank Hughes originally reported, Bobby Engram is unhappy with his contract. Instead of worrying about his motivations, I thought I’d look into his impact on Seattle’s passing offense. Here’s my method, simple enough. In 2006, Engram contributed in 8 contests, including two playoff games, and missed 9 contests. From that 9, I removed all snaps helmed by Seneca Wallace leaving 4 ½ games. I also scratched week 15 as it was Engram’s first game back. The question is, how well did Seattle do in net yards per pass attempt in those 8 contests compared to their opponent’s typical NY/PA versus how well did they do in those 4 ½ contests in NY/PA attempt compared to their opponent’s typical NY/PA? Pretty simple, well let’s see.

With Bobby Engram

NY/PA: 5.88

Expected NY/PA: 5.89

Percentage: 100%

Without Bobby Engram

NY/PA: 6.41

Expected NY/PA: 6.16

Percentage: 104%

So the Seahawks passing attack actually improved slightly without Engram. Why is that? Well, it’s not an improvement enough to herald church bells, but it might be simply that Holmgren’s been squeezing value out of the slot before Engram ever signed. In 1999, Mike Pritchard averaged 14.4 yards per catch on 26 receptions. In his time in Green Bay, Holmgren found life in Derrick Mayes, Bill Schroeder and Don Beebe. Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s important not to credit the player for the system. There’s a reason Holmgren has consistently produced top passing attacks with but a handful of name wide receivers.

I like Bobby Engram. He does what is asked of him and does it well. I find it a touch disingenuous when athletes talk about money equaling respect, but were Engram a top receiver, I could understand his beef. As is, he’s a systems player, albeit a fine one, that’s 35, coming off a career high in receptions and locked into a contract that probably isn’t too far from his actual value. I want to have your back here Bobby, but I think $1.7 million is just going to have to do.