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.

• Baby step Baraka Atkins, baby steps. Crucial baby steps. Here's how the preseason allows a blown play to be exciting: Second Minnesota drive of the second quarter, sixth play, 1^st and 10 on the Seattle 24. Atkins explodes off the snap! Badly overpursuing and thereby vacating right containment! Maurice Hicks rides the seam for an easy eight! Um...well the movement off the snap is promising. It's not surprising that Atkins growth at anticipating snap counts comes with a corresponding hitch. In the regular season, this would be a straight up blown assignment, but in the preseason the growth as a pass rusher - even against a run - easily trumps the assignment lapse.
• In that vein: Jordan Kent had a track star moment. On the third play of Seattle's first drive of the second quarter, 3^rd and 7 on the Seattle 23, Kent turned a good route and great separation into an incompletion. Running free, Kent turned his shoulder back towards Wallace very early, breaking stride and allowing the pass to drop ineffectually past his outstretched hands. Competent receivers know to trust their quarterback and run to the spot, having the experience and knowledge to find the ball late in the route and convert the reception. Kent, still very raw, doesn't.
• Next non-special teams play. 1^st and 10, Minnesota on their own 34; 2 WR, 2 TE, Rb. Seattle in a base 4-3. At the snap, the Vikings left tackle passes Lawrence Jackson off, pull blocking out and into the second level. This is why I really like Jackson. Jackson, immediately understanding the tackle pass means run and explodes into pulling guard Mike Jones. Jackson is excellent at engaging a blocker without allowing him into his chest and thereby losing control. Instead, Jackson rides Jones like a sled to Maurice Hicks, tackling Hicks for a gain of one. Awareness, recognition, skills matched with good athleticism and great potential.
• And yes, on the next play Jackson sheds a blocker, cuts across the field, through trash, outpaces Hicks and tackles him midstride 29 yards downfield.
• David Hawthorne knifed through traffic to tackle Hicks for a loss of two. Speed in traffic defines a run stopping linebacker and Hawthorne has it in spades.
• Not a great quarter for Josh Wilson. He looked very much the bad employee. First, on the fifth play of Minnesota's second drive, taking his head out of the game after noticing Howard Green's penalty and subsequently blowing coverage. And later, on the sixth play of Minnesota's third drive, whiffing on a press against Aundrae Allison, using his speed to recover, but then getting turned around in coverage. Physically close to Allison, but nowhere near covering him. Embarrassingly careless play for a second year man.
• On his lone reception of the half, Carlson bounced off the first tackler, rolling for an additional three. Eight yards on 1 and 10 is boffo; five, a failed play.
• I liked what I saw from Julius Jones. His long rush, 12 yards, ran from an audibled into split backs (out of an "I"). It's always good to see success out of SBs. Jones made a couple quick cuts and displayed the kind of easy speed he needs to be effective. Lost man David Kirtman effectively sealed off the inside. First, putting the finishing touches on Erin Henderson, escorting the rook to the turf, and then moving out to lock up Charles Gordon.
• Jones' failed first down conversion was, well, unlikely to succeed. Seattle didn't do much wrong from an execution standpoint, getting good push, a very nice lead block by Kirtman, with only the two tight ends, Jeb Putzier and John Carlson, falling off their blocks and allowing each of their men to contribute to the tackle. No, it was mostly just conservative play calling and a numbers mismatch. To turn a cliché on its head, shouldn't we expect a defense to be able to protect one yard ? Minnesota stacked nine in the box and swarmed the center, having the fullback to guide and Jones five yard run up to arrive. It won't happen, but I'd love to see Mike Holmgren minimize all the telegraphed, circa 1932, one yard and a cloud of dust short yardage plays he so favors.
• I'm surprised to see Jamar Adams so tenacious in the box, but there he was ripping Naufahu Tahi from behind and forcing a turnover on 4^th and 1.
• Seventh play, final drive of the half, Minnesota ball, 1^st and 10 on Seattle's 12; Vikings employ a 3 WR, TE, Rb formation. Seattle's in a base 4-3. Generic play, Hicks rush right end, but interesting because I note Green shows good separation ability, coming off a block and making a good move to the ball carrier.
• Next play, now 2^nd and 8. Identical formations from both units. Pass play. Seattle runs an unorthodox stunt, looks like this:
  Green again separates from his blocker and again shows good closing ability to the ball carrier. This time it's a sack. Same skill, different result, but I wouldn't rate the flashier play as a better effort.
• Kevin Hobbs blew coverage on the next play - playing too soft and misreading the distance for a first down. Should Martin Nance have converted an easy reception and thus earned the first down, that would be more widely noted, but Nance's mistake let Hobbs off the hook.

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 »

I like training camp, but I look forward to producing original content again. I've never been comfortable commenting on someone's commentary. The first step towards that starts tomorrow. I'm driving up to Seattle with my wife to watch the Seahawks intrasquad matchup. I'll come notebook in hand and will file a detailed report Saturday afternoon.

Seahawks Insider

This was an interesting practice, which ended with a two-minute drill in which both the first team and second team offenses scored game-winning touchdowns. Both offenses were bailed out by nice catches by their tight ends right up the middle of the field, John Carlson for the first team and Joe Newton for the second team.

The first team was facing a third and 5 when Matt Hasselbeck made a perfect pass over Carlson shoulder for the first down. Three plays later, Hasselbeck found Leonard Weaver on the left side for an eight-yard TD.

Good to see a Joe Newton mention, especially positive, especially with the second team. I would guess he's quietly a good step above Jeb Putzier. Putz sounds like he's lost the fire and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends his NFL career after getting cut. I mean, if he gets cut.

This is a good fingernail portrait of Seattle's 2008 passing offense. At its best, it will efficiently drive down the field, at its worst it will be slow, inexplosive and uncoordinated. For those in very deep FF drafts, remember Weaver will see a lot of touches this season.

Ben Obomanu continues to work out as the third receiver, alongside Engram and Burleson. To me, Obomanu looks solid and like he is getting more comfortable each day. Obomanu beat Lofa Tatupu on one downfield route, but Hasselbeck underthrew him and 51 was able to knock away the ball.

Obomanu looked lousy last year, but the kid is hard working and a decent deep threat--if. If he can fight for the jump ball, get separation and show better poise under pressure. Don't buy into any nonsense about a third year receiver jump, but Obomanu could make modest improvements and become serviceable.

Seahawks Blog

The center-QB exchange was a big issue this morning. No. 1 center Steve Vallos, who is there because Spencer and Gray are out, accidentally tripped QB Matt Hasselbeck on a play coming out from under center, which had Hasselbeck limping for several plays thereafter. No. 2 center Mansfield Wrotto, a true guard, struggled on the exchange with QB Seneca Wallace three times.

Vallos and Wrotto are not centers. And though we think of snapping the ball as one of the more fundamental skills in football, if you've never done it before, and now must opposite some of the fastest first-step defensive tackles in football, you're going to screw up. A lot. So, it's not ideal that Vallos and Wrotto are playing center, but detailing their daily struggles isn't adding much. Hopefully Vallos or Wrotto improve, the team needs a second string center not named Chris Gray, but there's just no way to improve without screwing up a bunch.

Talkin' Hawks

Hasselbeck was 4 of 6 in directing the No. 1 offense to its score – a pass into the left flat that fullback Leonard Weaver ran in for a 6-yard score. The key play was Hasselbeck laying a beautiful pass over linebacker Leroy Hill to rookie tight end John Carlson for a 27-yard gain on third-and-4.

Wallace was 5 of 7 in producing a score for the No. 2 offense – an 8-yard pass to wide receiver Joel Filani. The big play was almost a mirror image of the one turned in by the No. 1 offense, as Wallace displayed impressive touch on a pass that dropped over linebacker David Hawthorne to tight end Joe Newton for a 25-yard gain on fourth-and-8.

A nice detailed and dynamic description of the aforementioned 1st and 2nd team scoring drives.

PLAYER OF THE DAY
Carlson. Again? Again. The second-round draft choice continues to stretch the field, and catch the ball.

The best example of this was his big third-down catch in the two-minute drill. But Carlson also worked the middle well while making a couple more receptions.

His best play, however, might have been burying linebacker Matt Castelo with a solid block in a red-zone drill. Carlson has shown from his first practice that he can get open and catch the ball. What he needs to continue to show is improvement in his blocking.

Poor Matt Castelo, huh? Carlson can block, but doesn't block consistently. Burying a guy is nice, but a flashy block doesn't make up for a missed block. Nevertheless, Carlson is good, real good, and each positive report is a big "+" to the Seahawks passing offense. Like I said, I expect Carlson to be the story of the preseason. He will get lots of snaps, lots of touches and playing against a mix of starters, backups and scrubs should have some very nice games.

Looks like Bryant is the first wounded, but I'm not too concerned.

Talkin' Hawks

Bummer. As in, rookie defensive tackle Red Bryant might need arthroscopic surgery to repair damage to his left knee.

Nothing is certain at this point, but that was the preliminary report after the team's fourth-round draft choice had his knee examined. The club is awaiting additional tests before making the final determination.

First, it's his left knee not his previously injured right knee. I don't think that matters much, but I'm sure it's peace of mind for some. Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that shouldn't lead to much missed time by Bryant. The crotch-targeted pimp-slap-to-be is that arthroscopic surgery is often the prelude to a much more serious treatment. For now, with no specifics about when or how the injury occurred I'm willing to take a cautiously optimistic outlook. He'll miss time, but I don't think he'll miss the season.

On John Carlson:

"We haven't done enough yet, and he's got to get in the game," coach Mike Holmgren said when asked about Carlson after the morning practice. "But I really feel he is the player we thought he was when we drafted him."

You're not going to hear more glowing praise than that. It's early yet in training camp, and no one is going to slip anything too positive, but to simply say "yeah, this is what we were hoping for when we drafted him" gets me pretty psyched. What I've been holding close to my chest is a serious and almost destabilizing belief that this team needs Carlson to produce, because with Hackett gone and Branch out, Carlson is the only seam-stretcher on roster. The mess of underneath threats--Engram, Burleson, Weaver, Jones--need someone to draw the safety deep. Otherwise, we're going to see a mess of broken Hawks strewn across the field.

Seahawks Insider

Matt Hasselbeck brought up the other day that Logan Payne had the chance to sign with another team who wanted him to play for them, and instead chose to stay in Seattle. I asked Ruskell about it, and he said it was actually Jordan Kent who had the offer from another team.

Ooooooh! Diss.

From Seahawks Insider

The play of the day was made by Julius Jones, who broke into the secondary on a sweep to the right and met Jordan Babineaux face to face. Jones lowered his shoulder and sent Babs flying backward, sprawled on the ground. Jones is not that big a guy but he certainly harnessed his power on that play.

Everyone seems to love the big hit. It's certainly a money play, but in the grand scheme of things, mostly eye-candy. What matters is not that Jones flattened Jordan Babineaux, it's that he successfully ran a sweep. For the past two seasons, Alexander's slow first gear made sweeps inadvisable and rare. Adding the sweep back to the playbook is another small, hard to measure contribution by Jones.

From Talkin' Hawks

ROOKIE WATCH
Tight end John Carlson. The second-round draft choice from Notre Dame did some good things, and some not-so-good things this morning.

In an early drill, where the tight end and tackle where blocking a defensive end and linebacker, Carlson was pushed into the running back by linebacker Lance Laury and then whiffed on an attempted block of defensive end Jason Babin - who got to Weaver before he could turn the corner.

I saw a lot of whiffs by Carlson at Notre Dame. That should be something he can practice out of. Being walked into a running back is a little more troublesome. That's about winning engagement and sustaining a block. Mike Holmgren ripped him for the errors, so we can hope Carlson understands he won't play until he's adequate in all the duties of a tight end.

PLAYS OF THE DAY
Offense: Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant jammed wide receiver Courtney Taylor not once, but twice as he broke off the line. Not simply hands-on contact, but route-altering jabs. Taylor, however, took the double-licking and came back to catch a pass from Hasselbeck in the flat. It was even more significant because these are the types of plays the offense will need from Taylor while filling in as the third receiver until Deion Branch is fully recovered from offseason knee surgery.

This play is significant both because Taylor eventually fought off the jam, and because Taylor was physically able to eventually fight off the jam. Later, Taylor's hamstring again tightened up. As long as he's able to practice tomorrow, it doesn't really matter. The play doesn't indicate that Taylor's hamstrings are healthy, they clearly are not, but it does indicate he's functional even whilst debilitated.

In addition to his usual read-and-react plays against the run, Hill also came up with a couple of gems in pass coverage. On the best, Matt Hasselbeck was looking to go to Bobby Engram. But Hill's blanket coverage took the primary receiver out of the play, leaving Hasselbeck to dump the ball to fullback Leonard Weaver - and defensive coordinator John Marshall to shout his approval of Hill's effort.

Last season, Hill moved from clueless to able-to-recover. He didn't always make the right read, but was close enough, aware enough and quick enough to recover. That he simply maintained cover, disappearing his receiver, is another step is his development. Not as flashy as leveling Ryan Grant, forcing a fumble, but better football.

From Seahawks Blog

DT Brandon Mebane is an absolute handful during pass-rush drills and watching him go up against Mike Wahle is something to behold. Wahle is a very accomplished professional. Someone who is focused on technique and very earnest in his practice and he you can see him getting frustrated trying to block Mebane. It's very simple physics. Mebane is 6 feet 1, more than 300 pounds and that gives him some serious leverage.

Here's what Wahle had to say on Monday when asked about blocking Mebane.

"Getting underneath that guy is very difficult," Wahle said. "There has been a couple times this camp where I've had good hand placement on a pass or a run and then tried to throw him on the ground, like just smash him. His legs just keep moving, which is very, very rare for a guy his size. A lot of talent there for sure."

It's not just that Mebane is short, it's that he has a ridiculously low center of gravity. His anatomy, huge through the core, butt and thighs, is abnormal. He's like a cannonball with arms. Throughout the league, guards are getting taller. Last season, Mebane routinely stood up and stifled opposing guards and centers. The next step is to stand up and then shed opposing linemen, so that he's not simply a run stuffer, but a run stuffer that can rush the passer and stuff the rusher.

60. Skid Row Sliders Select Ken Hamlin, SS

Ken Hamlin was a cowboy long before he signed with Dallas. His antics, free roaming, often sloppy, occasionally spectacular, earned him a bad reputation among hardcore fans but a merry following of children and casual fans. Hamlin was good for a hit, a pick and some Pro Bowl posturing. The stuff that plays better on ESPN.

It's easy to see what Hamlin couldn't do. He wasn't a capable free safety. He wasn't disciplined or assignment correct. And he couldn't for the life of him maintain deep coverage. And miss what he could: Hamlin was a ballhawk. He had excellent range. He was an intimidator in the short zone and delivered a jarring safety blitz.

Playing free safety opposite Michael Boulware, Hamlin was a mess. The two were an affront to the Cover 2 shell. Play action was death. Kelly Herndon was death. A double move was death.

In 2007, Seattle cut Hamlin and the Cowboys signed him for a song. Among the blighted he found a home. One year, one almost deserved Pro Bowl.

The Sliders have exceptional pass rush and excellent cover DBs. I think Hamlin will take to playing strong safety, where he'll be played to his strengths and not asked to be what he never was: Brian Russell.

61. Skid Row Sliders Select John Carlson, TE

Originally, I was going to take a third wide receiver. It’s tempting. Over 30 years of team history, it’s not hard to find three wide receivers that, combined, will create matchup problems. Deion Branch, slot receiver. Nate Burleson, slot receiver. Koren Robinson, slot receiver. You see what I mean. But I opted to take Carlson because my right tackle is going to need an assist, whoever he be.

What’s there to say about Carlson. He’s never taken a snap, and isn’t even a complete blocker yet. But with two burners stretching the field, I wanted a steady player working underneath. I think Carlson can fulfill that.

62. Springfield Mudbones Select Ron Mattes, LT

He was no Big Walt, but Mattes manned the left tackle position more than
competently from 1986-1990. I'm not going to pretend that I know anything
specific about him beyond that, but the team had four winning seasons in
his five years playing for us, so it probably wasn't in SPITE of him.

63. DKSHFTF Select Edwin Bailey, RG

I'm not going to suggest I know a lot about Edwin Bailey, because I don't. However, that handy link the Mudbones provided from Pro Football Reference named him the best RG in team history. We'll take it for the DKSHFTF.

64. (19)76ers Select Phillip Daniels, RDE

Reasonable contributor (20.5 sacks in four years as a Hawk) who is a good value at this stage of the draft.

65. (19)76ers Select Dan Doornink, FB

Dr. Dan was a versatile player for the Hawks for many years. He was fullback, third down back, and substitute halfback. He is perhaps best known for subbing for an injured Curt Warner in 1984 - when the Hawks went 12-4. The Sixers will use the good doctor at fullback and will probably see a good bit of time on third downs, given
halfback Shaun Alexander's well-known shortcomings in the passing and blocking games.

66. DKSHFTF Select Ray Roberts, RT

We're going to take here a somewhat mediocre LT and move him to RT. Our reasoning being that Ray Roberts didn't completely suck eggs, either in Seattle or with Detroit after moving from us. He was a somewhat adept pass blocker. Basically, I would call him nondescript and solid. He didn't make too many incredibly awful plays, but didn't exactly dominate the line of scrimmage. Since he's used to being a LT, we can use him to block for our yet-to-be-named-but-everyone-knows-who-we-will-eventually-draft QB, who happens to be a lefty, so the pass protection from the RT spot becomes more crucial. With this final piece, the DKSHFTF offensive line finishes with a flourish.

Mike Sando is first in with the goods. Scroll down and you'll see some quick hits on John Carlson. Impressive work by Sando, proving if ever it needed to be, Mike Sando is a tough act to follow.

Starting center Chris Spencer isn't working. Coach Mike Holmgren lumped Spencer into a group of players taking things easier following offseason surgeries. Unlike the other guys who passed physicals, Spencer hasn't practiced since early in the first session Friday. His injury situation is definitely worth monitoring.

That's a foreboding first line if I've ever read one. Spencer's shoulders are now not just endangering his potential, but also his career. It's bad enough that he's clearly lost strength, but if he can't get reps in at practice, I don't think Holmgren will hesitate to begin auditioning replacements. Spencer has too much learn to be taking snaps off.

The Seahawks have not yet committed to Julius Jones as their starting running back, but if he is indeed the favorite, Maurice Morris can't afford to make the decision easier. That thought came to mind as Morris dropped an easy pass roughly 10 yards downfield. A short time later, Jones made a catch over his left shoulder despite tight coverage from linebacker David Hawthorne.

Jones is not only the favorite, Jones starting is a fait accompli. I wouldn't give anymore credence to Holmgren's "two starters" than I would Kelly Jennings' job being endangered. It's a motivational tool, and when all is said and done, I'd be surprised if Morris matches his carries from last season. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if Seattle doesn't shop him before the season starts.

Rookie running back Justin Forsett, 5-foot-8 and 194 pounds, can be hard to find out there -- for defenders as well as spectators. He's got some fight, too, at one point winning a tug-of-war for the ball with Lofa Tatupu on the other end. It looked as though Forsett surprised Tatupu with his strength.

It's notable that Forsett continues to impress. Seattle didn't draft the tiny powerback to be cute, or because "his talent was just too good not to". Forsett is the type of hard working overachiever Tim Ruskell favors, and if Morris ends up in another jersey, Forsett will be part of the reason why.

Here are a couple quick takes on Carlson.

Carlson beat safety Deon Grant for an intermediate gain late in practice. Carlson caught the ball away from his body without losing control. Very nice.

The overall feel is that Carlson showed up, stepped up and showcased the skills and polish that made Seattle confident he could contribute this season. As for the headfakes...

I use this line a lot but...

Our long national nightmare ends.

24 hours of gripping drama--over.

Seattle has agreed to terms with John Carlson. (hat tip, lemonverbena)

Here's your Carlson scouting report.

Updated analysis follows.

Thus ending speculation he'd instead opt to work at a dry cleaner.

Since this is news, I'll just go ahead an preemptively report:

Red Bryant signs.

John Carlson signs.

Lawrence Jackson signs.

A source deep within my skull, somewhere between my amygdalae, confirms it as a near eventuality.

I refuse to post that god-forsaken video of Schmitt crying.