There isn't much to say about Kevin Hobbs and what there is isn't complimentary. I've been led to believe Hobbs has made a quantum leap over the offseason, so instead of dragging his name in the mud, I'll simply say, prove it in the preseason.

The Winner:

Josh Wilson

Defenses employ a nickel personnel grouping on about a quarter of all plays. Those plays are often high leverage, third down plays. In 2007, Seattle deployed "Big Play" Jordan Babineaux as its primary nickelback. In 2007, Big Play had a projected quality as all the big plays came by the man Babs was "covering". If one play exemplified Babineaux's season, it was the pick 6 against Washington. With Seattle up 14 and only 44 seconds left on the clock, Babs cashed in on a season's worth of staring into the backfield, intercepting an errant Todd Collins pass and returned it for a score. A season's worth of clueless nickelback play, persistent gazing into the pocket while his assignment ran untouched, culminating in a worthless but flashy pick 6 to chainsaw an already moldering horse.

I digress.

This season, Seattle hopes to substitute Big Play with a competent corner. Ideally, 2007 second round pick Josh Wilson. I don't buy into human objectivity so I'm going out and say it, I like Josh Wilson and have wanted him to succeed since he was drafted. Kid's a little Bob Sanders and a little Darrell Green and should he hone his pickoff ability has terrifying return ability out of the nickel.

At Maryland, Wilson played as the Terp's "boundary" cornerback. That's not a term you hear much in the pros, but all it means is the corner who covers the short side of the field. In college, with their funky wide hashmarks, that can be a significant difference in area. The boundary is asked to contribute more against the run, blitzes more and sees more one-on-one coverage. It's considered the more demanding position (opposed to the "field" corner) in a college system but does not necessarily produce the best pro talent.

Wilson is a spirited tackler. He plays big, despite his size. He has excellent quickness and should grow into an excellent zone corner. Wilson is already a good man cover corner, true to Tim Ruskell's tastes, and should improve his ball skills in a less demanding position with a good secondary around him.

His father Tim Wilson was Earl Campbell's lead blocker. That's a bit like being George Foreman's boxing glove. Tim died in 1996 when Josh was just 11. His senior season, Josh Wilson was selected as All-ACC and won the James Tatum Award for top student athlete. He's chippy but high character and plays with a lot of pride. Wilson has the makings of an excellent nickelback, should he survive his own ferocity.

The Incumbent:

C.J. Wallace

Wallace wasn't the favorite last season, but beat out a weak field after cracking skulls in the preseason. Wallace recorded 9 non-special teams tackles, an interception and a pass defense. Against the run, his five tackles were after a collective 38 yards gained. Those five plays were run with a collective 38 yards needed for the first down. Only his stop after 4 yards on 2^nd and 8 can be seen as successful. He recorded four tackles against the pass, a pass defense and a pick. The tackles were after a combined 79 yards. Those four passes were thrown with a collective 53 yards to the first down. None were successful. As a run stopper, Wallace was doing mostly mop up work. The kind of hustle tackles fans appreciate but do not help a team to win. Wallace, according to his tackles, wasn't very effective against the run. Still, it's a very small sample and Wallace has the skills to be a run stopper. The pass stats look superficially good. If we credit Wallace for a 0 on the pass defense and a -40 on the INT, he allowed only 55% of yards needed per pass play. Again, it's an imperfect stat and small sample size. In reality, Wallace is much worse against the pass than against the run. So this showing was probably a fluke.

Wallace served as a third string safety during the season and didn't do anything noteworthy. During the preseason, I noted Wallace twice. After the match against Oakland, to confirm he had played well enough to earn a spot on the practice squad and perhaps the roster. And previously, after the match against Green Bay, noting a badly missed tackle.

If we dig into his college profile we see a 3 year starter, with a little pop (5 forced fumbles), little in the way of pass rush or interceptions (1 and 2 respectively) that amassed big tackle numbers on some bottom dwelling defenses. Safeties and linebackers, especially high-motor types, often wrack up tackles on bad defenses. He wasn't invited to the combine, wasn't considered a prospect and posted a 4.83/40 at UW's pro day. 40 times don't define a player, but it's a decent indicator of their raw quickness and/or speed. Let's put it this way, 4.83 is what Lofa Tatupu ran in the neutral environs of the Combine. The time that devalued Tatupu's stock. As a middle linebacker. Wallace is slooow.

Wallace isn't very talented. Making the roster last season was one part a surprise showing in the preseason and one part a lack of competition. His most celebrated plays, a fumble recovery and an interception are not likely to be repeated. If a roster squeeze comes and Seattle retains only eight defensive backs (I would count on it), Wallace is likely to be cut. That's going to bite some toes, but let's be serious. Players like C.J. rarely get that year.

The Prospect:

Jamar Adams

There's not a ton to add about Adams. He's lean, rangy--definitely in the Deon Grant mold for strong safeties: A free safety with enough toughness, mass and pop to play strong. I've only had one real good look at him firsthand, but was impressed.

I really like Jamar Adams' length. He's long, agile and surprisingly adept at Cover 1. He made a nice break on a ball in the end zone, displaying nice read, nice quickness but only so-so hands. Those hands are what separates him from being a viable free safety. But those hands aren't a mortal deficit, they can be improved. He's also a little chippy; plays with cockiness, a little aggression, meanness. After bottling up Julius Jones (editor's note: actually Justin Forsett)--Jones churning his legs, fighting for extra yardage--the undrafted rookie planted the veteran millionaire Adams swaggers, shirt untucked, with a lot of ego. Take that for what you will.

It's up to Adams to play well in the preseason. I know the team wants to retain him, because he won't survive the practice squad. When a talent like Adams drops out of the draft, you get one chance, because he won't wait on the practice squad and teams won't wait to sign him off it. But football must retain some semblance of meritocracy, and it would be hard to dignify retaining Adams over Wallace should Adams struggle and Wallace again catch lightning in a bottle. I said it before, "training camps and the preseason are a curious winnowing process where fans must hope the best player plays the best and is not unseated by someone less deserving." You hope Adams does well because whatever he does in the next 4 preseason games, his potential over his career is head and shoulders above Wallace.

The Wild Card:

Jordan Babineaux

I use the term "Wild Card" loosely, because in my mind Babineaux is Seattle's second string safety barring injury or something likewise unforeseen. The team spent a second round pick on Josh Wilson and he'll be given every opportunity to win the nickel spot. The emergence of Kevin Hobbs makes Seattle enviably deep at corner and should lead to more and better dime packages. Making Babineaux a nickelback in light of the depth at corner and lack of depth at safety would be pretty senseless. Especially senseless after a season in which Babineaux badly struggled in man coverage. Get thee to free safety!

The Practice Squad:

Kelin Johnson or Eric Wicks

These two are deadlocked for a spot on the practice squad. If you love the preseason, this is a contest to watch. Both played for strong defenses, Johnson a Georgia Bulldog (16^th as ranked by FEI), Wicks a West Virginia Mountaineer (14^th as ranked by FEI). Wicks has it over Johnson in size, athleticism and production. Wicks had a monster 2006: 3 picks, 11 tackles for a loss and 7 sacks. His 2007 was still respectable but not so eye-popping: 3 picks, 7 TFL and 2 sacks. Does his game translate? We shall see.

I've covered Johnson. His game probably does translate, albeit in a diminished form. Since my original write up, Johnson hasn't received much press. That shouldn't be construed as bad. Johnson is a cover safety and his best work isn't really noteworthy. Johnson is polished, and should Seattle see free safety depth as its more pressing need, has a clearer route to the practice squad.

The Field:

No.

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.

Publically, Mike Holmgren has put Kelly Jennings' job up for auction. Privately, the idea is near absurd. Like last year's tactical challenge of Sean Locklear, this is more about a good player being challenged to get better. Not a condemnation of Jennings' play or a true solicitation of a replacement.

Seattle's nickelback spot is much less settled. A recent rumor circulated by Pro Football Weekly has stirred speculation that Kevin Hobbs could be taking over Josh Wilson's dime spot. In reality, both are competing for the nickel spot. The rumor itself should be ignored. It has all the hallmarks of bullshit. Nebulous source: team insider. Weird timing: July 16, when nothing team related is happening. Misguided quote: "I definitely see him possibly grabbing the ‘dime' role from Josh Wilson, whose best plays have come from having to use his athleticism to recover from all the plays he keeps missing." Wilson had 4 non-special teams tackles last season and not a single pass defense. I can't for the life of me remember a "best play" to speak of. But Wilson did begin to supplant Jordan Babineaux by very late in the season and should be considered the favorite for the nickel spot.

The reasons for that are simple. First, he's a Tim Ruskell pick, and good or bad we know that comes with some protection. Ruskell has aggressively promoted his own picks and largely sloughed off Holmgren era holdovers. He's also easily the most talented of the three corners in serious contention for the position. The man ahead of Wilson, Babineaux, was nearly benched by the end of the season and likely would have been benched if Wilson enjoyed a single prolonged period of health. Wilson also had a good mini-camp, and it must be recognized that "most improved" tags are commonly assigned hard-working roster fodder. One must improve from something to be most improved, and Hobbs was already released once by Seattle. He could be much improved and still only adequate, but, then, Hobbs is only 25, so marked improvement is possible. Possible.

And that's the fun part. Kevin Hobbs improving, challenging Wilson and Babineaux for the nickel spot is a win-win. Competition is a quickening that spurs greatness. Hobbs, Wilson and Babineaux should each push each other, and with any luck, the best will be selected to man the nickel. Be it Hobbs, be it Wilson-

Anyone but Babs.

Defense/Offense

Free Safety	Strong Safety
Brian Russell MikeGreen Jordan Babineaux	Deon Grant CJWallace Jordan Babineaux

Right Cornerback	Dime Back	SLB	MLB	WLB	Nickelback	Left Cornerback
Kelly Jennings Josh Wilson Jordan Babineaux	Jordan Babineaux Kevin Hobbs Rich Gardner	Julian Peterson Leroy Hill	Lofa Tatupu DDLewis Julian Peterson	Leroy Hill Will Herring Lance Laury	Josh Wilson Jordan Babineaux Kevin Hobbs	Marcus Trufant Kelly Jennings Josh Wilson

Right DE	Right DT	Left DT	Left DE
Darryl Tapp LawrenceJackson JasonBabin	Brandon Mebane Red Bryant Howard Green ChrisCooper	Rocky Bernard Marcus Tubbs Craig Terrill Larry Tripplett	Patrick Kerney Baraka Atkins Nu'uTafisi