The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will be a playoff team this year. I am sure of it. In fact, I will go one further than that. I say that not only will they be a playoff team, I think they are going to do some damage in the playoffs, and other teams and fans of those other teams won’t like it. Nope, not at all, and I am giving twenty player related reasons why. This is Player Related Reason Number 19.

Mike Iupati; Offensive Left Guard.

Why is Iupati poised to make a big impact?

Well, for one thing, he’s massive. At 6-5 and 331 lbs, Mr. Iupati is the human definition of a road grader built to move other big humans out of the way. Another thing is that he is seasoned veteran who, when healthy, adds veteran leadership and savvy. But perhaps the most exciting reason to be optimistic about the addition of this guy is just how much further the commitment of the team is to get more physical at the line of scrimmage.

Seattle wants to run the ball. There is no secret about this. This is been the stable of the Seattle offense for nearly a decade now. But the way they are going about things over the last season to this point it quite different. When Tom Cable was coaching the offensive line, they preferred quick moving lighter players at guard to incorporate a zone blocking scheme. For a while, it had it’s effects, but the league caught up to it, and Cable was unable to adjust, or unwilling, however you want to view it, and that led to his firing. Enter Mike Solari, and a power blocking scheme.

Last year, Seattle was dominant running the ball, and the addition of DJ Fluker (6-5 342 lbs) at right guard was a revelation. Seattle brought Fluker back this season on a two year deal, and reached a one year deal with 32 year old Iupati. That one year deal just made Seattle’s offensive line considerably even bigger considering who Iupati replaced, and I would expect this to be a trend that continues.

Seattle drafted  Phil Haynes (6-4 322 lbs) in the fourth round this year probably likely with the intentions of developing him into a starter, but with Iupati, Haynes has the luxury of learning from a veteran, and Seattle has the luxury of not rushing a rookie. Yes, Iupati might well just be a veteran stop gap, but that’s a huge stop gap of a player, and while his recent injury history suggests that he may not play a full sixteen game season, Seattle showed last year with relatively unknown youngster Jordan Simmons thrust into the starting lineup for a few games, that they have a type that they look for to be effective in their power scheme, and with that type, size most definitely matters.

With Iupati, Seattle’s offensive line will boast four former first round picks, and a second round pick at center. The average weight of these five players is about 324 lbs. That’s a group of some pretty big men. The average of the projected backups is at about 320 lbs. Yeah, big boys.

Simply put, for Seattle to win in the trenches this year size matters, and this Iupati signing shows even more clearly that they want to be the bully of the division again, even if that means that they might only get Iupati for ten games, or so. Based on last season, they might be onto something.

They played the Los Angeles Rams tough in their two close losses to them. They had success running against a defensive line that included top self defense linemen Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, and Michael Brockers. During one match, Fluker owned Suh in the run game, and in another match they got under Donald’s skin, which isn’t an easy thing to do.

I suspect 2019 is going to very much be a continuation of that. Is it sexy and innovative? Nah, it’s about as unsexy old school as you can get, but I gotta admit it, a big part of me applauds this approach.

Seattle doesn’t have the exotic weapons to likely match LA in a shoot out, but that isn’t how they want to play it. Seattle wants to hit LA in the mouth repeatedly on offensive until LA is forced to take away the run, and New England might have just given the league a blue print on how to slow down LA’s offense. If Seattle can execute that blue print a bit better in 2019, that offensive line could pave the way to a victory or two over LA, and might just put Seattle in the driver’s seat in the division again.

We shall see, of course, but personally, I like this Mike Iupati signing. I like it a lot. Add in the fact that Iupati will be reunited with his old O-line coach from his San Francisco days in Solari, and I think he’s poised to fit in really nicely here in Seattle.

I’m looking forward to it.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will make the playoffs again this team. I’m sure of it. Absolutely. In fact, I am so sure of this, I am going to give you twenty reasons why by way of player personnel. Starting today, I will profile a player a day that I think will make a major impact on this team either as a starter or major contributor this year.

Are we ready for this? Sure, we’re ready for this. Let’s do it.

Number Twenty: Rasheem Green, Defensive end.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Why is Green going to make an impact?

He was an extremely athletic defensive lineman heading into his college football days at USC from high school. There was a vibe around the draft circles in 2018 that had he had stayed another season in college, he would have probably been a first round pick this year, but, he left USC early, and entered the league at 21 years of age, and Seattle eventually landed him in round three. He flashed mightily in the preseason, but as predicted by some, the regular season proved more or less a redshirt year for him. The scouting vibe was that he probably needed to redshirt to get more NFL strong.

Why I believe he will make an impact this year is that he has now benefitted from a full offseason in Seattle’s strength and conditioning program, and organized team activities. While Seattle took LJ Collier in round one this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if a healthy more built up Rasheem Green is ready to make perhaps a bigger impact sooner. They could both easily become starters on this line by the end of the season, but I, for one, am pretty excited to see what year two has in store for this former Trojan.

Some think that Green is best suited to play the five technique spot that Michael Bennett once held, but I kinda see potential at the other end spot. Yes, Green has played both end and tackle in college, but I wonder if they don’t give him looks at the LEO end position this training camp while free agent addition Ziggy Ansah is mending from his shoulder injury. He reminds me of former Carolina Panther intimidator Greg Hardy a bit, especially in terms of body type. For five tech, the team has Collier, Naz Jones, Brandon Jackson, and Quinton Jefferson. In short, it’s a crowded spot, but if Green plays up to his athletic potential at LEO, he could give Seattle a massive and intimidating looking base front with tackles Jarran Reed, Al Woods/Poona Ford, and Collier/Jones/Jackson/Jefferson, etc. That’s potentially the biggest d-line we’ve seen Seattle roll out with in the Pete Carroll era, even when they had Red Bryant and Alan Branch. Ansah could be preserved to coming in on passing downs like Cliff Avril did in 2013. Some interesting stuff to consider.

It’s easy to be dismissive when thinking of Green. They drafted Collier with their first pick, and former seventh rounder Jacob Martin flashed more than Green did in the regular season of 2018 when they were both rookies. However, when they traded away Frank Clark, and only used one draft pick on a defensive end when the position was a perceived big area of need for the team prior to trading Clark , yeah, something sort of smelt like they might think they got something waiting in the wings already on this roster. Even with the one year rental signing of the still on the mend Ansah, it feels like they aren’t in any rush to add more. Why? Could it be Martin? Shaquem Griffin? Cassius Marsh? Maybe.

But I gotta hunch that they might be waiting for Green to blossom. If he does, I think he has got the potential to an interesting every down player. So, I’m calling it here. I think he is going to be a surprise player this year, and he’s going to make an impact. I’m looking forward to it.

Go Hawks.

Could the return of Cassius Marsh be what the Seattle Seahawks need to get back to the Land of Milk and Honey? Maybe, yeah. (Patrick Smith/ Getty)

Baseball. The reminder of summer, and all that is America’s national pastime. Also, the one thing out there that really makes me realize just how much I love football. So much so, that I am poised to type out this State of the 2019 Seattle Seahawks June Mini Camp Edition. Why not? We all know the truth. This town and region bleeds blue and green, and the Mariners are, well.. yeah.

So, what is this piece about? Well, it’s in the title. It’s the State of the Seahawks during their final mini camp before the league requires the players to break from their teams for a month before they must reconvene with the programs at the end of July. For those not terribly in-the-know about these league wide mini camps, allow me to describe. For the players, there are no pads involved, except for leg pads if you want to wear them, and you wear your helmets. There is also obviously no hitting involved, and defenders aren’t even allowed to make a contested play on the ball. Basically, it’s hard to gage how well defensive and offensive linemen are doing, how well secondary players are doing, and Russell Wilson makes a lot of really beautiful deep throws to receivers who don’t have to worry about a defender playing them aggressively. The coaches are looking at how well the players are into their assignments, routes, positioning, etc. It’s just mini camp. In the theater world, we would call these “table top reads.”

So what can we gleam from all this mini camp stuff? Well, I’m not a reporter. I’m just an overly obsessive type who wants to be a blogger. So, I don’t get to go out there and see, but listening to Pete Carroll, the other coaches, and veteran players during their press conferences, and I think I can still parse a few things. I can read the tea leaves.

Here’s the nutshell that I am piecing together; I think this team is more capable of winning the division than a lot of people think. I think they are another year fuller along in a new offensive system, and they might be deeper on the defense than many think. Let me walk you through the position groups to explain.

Quarterback

The most important position in all of football, and Seattle has one of the very best in Russell Wilson. I know football is a team game, but that it literally half the battle. I also know that Seattle wants to be a running team, but one of the reasons that they run with such success is the threat of Russell Wilson that defenses face. I think last year was likely Wilson feeling out offensive coordinator Brian Schottenhiemer’s version of the vertical Air Coryell offense. I would suspect a major step forward this year. Wilson’s deep ball is elite, and Seattle just added more deep ball targets with this last draft class. Put these things together, and I suspect Wilson is due a monster year this year even without Doug Baldwin on the roster. I would say take that to the bank.

Running Back

Chris Carson is an athletic freak and a beast, but my money is on Rashaad Penny taking a major step forward in 2019. Don’t be shocked if Seattle has the best one two punch at running back in the league this year. Rookie Travis Homer is an interesting dark horse as a change of pace and third down back, and if they finally get a healthy season from CJ Prosise, this could be an incredibly deep position group.

Wide Receiver

This is the group that will likely enter the official training camp in late July with the most question marks. The retirement of Doug Baldwin is a massive loss for the team, and they didn’t look to add veteran help to lessen the blow. They might be using these mini camps to determine whether to add one during the real camp later. What they do have on the roster is Tyler Lockett who has developed a terrific chemistry with Wilson. Also coming back is David Moore who flashed a bit in 2018 and Jaron Brown who Carroll has been praising lot lately. They also drafted the big, physically freaky and fast DK Metcalf, along with another big fast receiver in Gary Jennings, and a slot player in John Ursua. A sleeper name to watch out for is undrafted rookie free agent Terry Wright from Purdue (he has been getting a lot of organized team activity buzz the last few weeks).

It could be quite possible that Seattle like their receivers a lot more than you do. Also, interestingly enough, Seattle has quietly gotten a lot bigger and faster at receiver. These are the types of pass catchers the New Orleans had surrounded Drew Brees with for years, and are more traditional prototypes for the Air Coryell offense that Shottenhiemer calls.

Tight End

There are no names in this position group that are going to put the fear into defenses, but they do what Seattle wants them to do. Ed Dickson, and Nick Vannett are guys who are decent blockers and who can catch. Two possibly more interesting younger players are Will Dissly, who was promising last year but is coming back from a serious knee injury, and Jacob Hollister, who Seattle traded for after the draft. Hollister has been steadily praised by Wilson, Carroll, and Schottenhiemer, and might be a dark horse candidate to break out this year as a pass catcher.

Offensive Line

Outside of Quarterback, this might be the strongest area of the team, and that hasn’t been said about the Seahawks since Mike Holmgren was the head coach. Four for the five starting offensive linemen are former first round picks, and their center was a second rounder. They are set at left tackle in Dwayne Brown, but also, with Mike Iupati, Justin Britt, DJ Fluker, and Germaine Ifedi, this line is HUGE. My dark horse is 6-4 322lb rookie guard Phil Haynes. They don’t need to rush this player along, but if Iupati or Fluker get injured and he steps in and holds his own, Seattle might feel compelled to keep going with the youngster.

Defensive Line

On paper this feels like another thin area, especially after they traded Frank Clark, but I’m actually not to sure. Rookie defensive end LJ Collier feels like he could be an automatic plug and play sort at both end and tackle. Free agent Ezekiel Ansah is likely the other “on paper” starter. Second year player Jacob Martin could further become an important pass rush specialist, but for my money at end though, I think second year player Rasheem Green might become the big surprise story player of 2019. I think he has that kind of talent.

Also, another dark horse I want to suggest is the return of Cassius Marsh. Marsh had a decent year for the 49ers in 2018, plays with sound technique, and has the twitch to rush the passer. Folks might be writing him off as a bit of camp fodder. I wouldn’t. He’s only 26 years old, and likely still carries some upside. With Clark gone, and Ansah on the mend, there is a opportunity for Marsh to establish himself in a second go around in Seattle, and considering how he has bounced a bit since Seattle traded him to New England, he might view this as his last chance to salvage a long playing career. I like him coming into Seattle with that edge. I’m just going to toss there words out there now; don’t sleep on Cassius Marsh.

Defensive tackle I am not worried about in the least. Seattle has one of the best young DTs in the game in Jarran Reed playing on a contract year, and they have a promising young player in Poona Ford ready to play along side him. The vibe around the team feels like they really like Ford a lot, and think they got a steal there. I’m excited to see how his game progresses. Pro Football Focus loved him at the end of last year.

Veteran Al Woods is possibly my favorite free agent signing, though. He’s not a sack guy, but at 6-4 330lbs, he is a big powerful space eating DT that will soak up multiple blockers to make those around him more able to make the play. During Seattle’s recent Super Bowl runs, those were the kind of players Seattle had inside. My dark horse is undrafted rookie free agent Bryan Mone of Michigan. The dude is 6-3 and 366lbs of man mountain. The thought of having Woods and Mone in the game together on run downs is absolutely fascinating. If these two guys make the final roster, Seattle is very much committed to taking away the run in 2019. In my opinion, this is potentially a fascinating under the radar storyline.

Linebacker

I think this is by far and away the deepest unit on the defense. Seattle has the best linebacker on the planet in Bobby Wagner, and they have two very good veteran players in KJ Wright and Mychal Kendricks. If these three are all playing together healthy, Seattle might have the best 4-3 linebacking unit in the league, no kidding. Seattle also drafted Cody Barton, and Husky fan favorite Ben Burr-Kirven. I was high on them drafting BBK, but all the early praise seems to be landing on Barton and how quickly he has picked up on things. If Seattle were to lose Wright or Kendricks for a stretch, Barton might have the talent take one of their jobs away. Second year player Shaquem Griffin is moving to SAM linebacker and will rush from the edge, which is what he did in college. Griffin could be an interesting ex factor as an extra rusher on third downs. There’s not another position switch on the roster that I am more intrigued with.

Secondary

This is probably the area on the defense that stresses out most fans. In large part, I think it has more to do with who is no longer on the roster than who is. I think Bradley McDougald is a solid safety who can man both spots, and I think rookie safety Marquise Blair is a player that if you took the DNA of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas and mixed it up in a blender, you would get this guy. I also think Tedric Thompson and Lano Hill are both safeties that can factor and take further steps forward.

As for the corners, here is my bold prediction. Shaquill Griffin is going to have a major breakthrough year after his somewhat sophomore slump, and Tre’ Flowers is going to take a major step forward as the other starter. I love the athletes that both of these guys are, but I think the characters of both of these guys propel them forward into a much better 2019 campaign.

Nickel corner is a bit up for grabs, but this is a Pete Carroll coached team, and I suspect they will figure out who their nickel player is by the start of the regular season. Akeem King seems like the early favorite, but my dark house is rookie Oregon Duck Ugo Amadi. He’s listed as a free safety, but if you parse Pete, it feels like they want to get a long look at him in the nickel, and the dude was a flat out baller for the Ducks. Amadi has me intrigued.

Special Teams

Seattle is set in the teams. They have a pro bowl punter (Michael Dickson) and a pro bowl kicker (Jason Myers). Not worried at all here.

Final Thoughts

It’s early. It’s not even preseason yet. There are things that will change once we get into the regular season. There will be surprise cuts, surprise players that step up, and probably a disappointment or two of players who won’t. There also could well be a player or two coming in via trade or free agency still.

However, the plain truth remains. Seattle has one of the very best head coaches in the game matched with one of the very best quarterbacks. They have an immensely built up offensive line that powers a highly productive run game, and I think they are potentially really underrated in a few areas on the defensive side.

In a league that increasingly loves to air it out and get the ball out to playmakers in space, Pete Carroll still believes firmly that ultimately the truest battle in football is won and lost in the trenches. If you can run, you set up explosive plays downfield. If you take away the run, you make an offense one dimensional and you can rush the passer and force turnovers.

I think Seattle might have a unique situation at defensive line with a blend of size and rush ability that many folks are not seeing right now because of the lack of name recognition beyond Jarran Reed and Ezekiel Ansah. There is a reason why they felt no need to pursue Gerald McCoy when he recently hit the market. I think they might like what they got.

I also think that with the drafting of linebackers, and safeties, Seattle is positioning themselves to defending better against the Rams. Tackling in space is key to beating that team as demonstrated by New England. This is my homer take, but I think Seattle is poised to overtake the Rams for the NFC West division this year. I know San Francisco is going to likely be the sexy pick in the West, and they might be pretty good, but I have yet to see their franchise quarterback play a full healthy season, and I am not as sold on their head coach as some are. He will be going into his third year there, and with that, there is pressure to win. The vibe I get from that dude is that maybe his temperament isn’t the best when the pressure is on, but we shall see.

It just has a feel like this is a year in the division where a veteran head coach matched with a veteran quarterback, with a veteran offensive line, and a defense led by veterans mixed with youth is going to win the day more times than not. I also think relying on some key underdogs like Cassius Marsh, Al Woods, Shaquem Griffin, and Poona Ford, they might be bringing back the “we all we got, we all we need” chants full throttle. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am. I like it.

One thing I am certain about, I will be writing a lot more about this team soon enough. Oh, yes. I will.

Go Hawks.

Canada time? I think so, and my wife and I are actually in this photo just to the right of the ball. Go Storm!

I’m a Seattle Storm fan. I have grown to become a bigger and bigger one over the years, once I started dating the wonderful person who is now my wife. Sometimes you get lucky in life like that, and you meet the person that will make you more well rounded. For me, that was my wife turning me onto this WNBA franchise way up here in Alaska South.

So, Christmas before last season, I bought season tickets to the Storm for her as a present. I have been a diehard Seahawks fan all of my life, yet I have never so much as shelled out on season tickets for them, but I had a feeling that 2018 might be a season that my wife would not want to miss a home Storm game in person, and I really wanted her to experience that. So I dropped the serious cheddar on them, and I was glad I did.

I was ridiculously glad that I did. The girls delivered their third WNBA championship, and I found myself as invested in them as my wife, if not more, and the Seattle Storm officially became my team.

Sometimes you can just get a feeling about the greatness of a team. If you step back from your optimism, and just soak in the talent, character, and chemistry, you can sometimes sense greatness around the corner. I’ve felt this a few times in Seattle sports. I felt it in 1983 about the Seattle Seahawks when head coach Chuck Knox took over, and the team went one game away from a Super Bowl in his first season. I felt it in the 1992-’93 season of the Seattle Supersonics when head coach George Karl took over a young athletic roster, and they went 55-27 and lost in the Western Conference finals to Phoenix. I felt it again with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 when head coach Pete Carroll surprisingly made rookie quarterback Russell Wilson the starter, and a year later they won the Super Bowl.

With the 2018 Seattle Storm, I felt something major was on the verge of happening. 2017 wasn’t a great year for them, they inched into the playoffs with a young roster, and were out of it right away. But they made a coaching change bringing in veteran WNBA stalwart Dan Hughes, and they acquired athletic veteran forward Natasha Howard from Minnesota. Howard was one of those sneaky acquisitions where the new head coach was familiar with the player and saw a specific role in mind. In short, Howard proved to be a key missing piece to the Storm puzzle. Then the Storm followed up that acquisition by drafting the electric UCLA point guard Jordin Canada in April. While a backup point guard might not seem that splashy of draft selection, watching Canada’s break ankle speed on the court was a sight to behold. It became clear to me what Hughes’ plan was within the first two games of the season with the additions of Howard and Canada; Seattle was going to be a running team.

As a fan of the 1990’s Supersonics, I got really excited, and invested. Veteran All-World point guard Sue Bird did, too. She literally reinvented herself as a player by midseason.  Gone was the methodical half court Sue Bird. In was the leaner meaner race down the court Sue Bird. It was a dramatic shift from the style of ball she had become accustomed to, but she not only embraced it, she commanded it. She would lead the starters into a up tempo style of ball.

They lost size up front by having Howard play center, but because so much attention was on long lean MVP forward Breanna Stewart, that opened up opportunities for Howard’s quicks and hops towards the basket. Then factor in whenever Canada replaced Bird, and the fact that the bench would get even faster, the other WNBA teams had to do A LOT of running up and down the court to stay up with Seattle. Dang it all if it wasn’t a lot of fun to watch. Dan Hughes’ gassed the WNBA with his 2018 championship team. They out did what the Sonics did in the 1990’s. I kid you not about that.

Now fast forward to May 2019. How are we looking? Well, I’ll be honest, things could be better for Storm fans.

The Seattle Storm are about to start their 2019 campaign without Breanna Stewart because she tore her Achilles in an overseas basketball game, and without Sue Bird who injured her knee in preseason practice, and will be essentially done for the year after surgery. They will also be without their savvy head coach Dan Hughes as he is out for a while battling cancer. These are massive blows to the team, no doubt, but I for one, will be eager to see how this team responds.

How would have the 1994 Seattle Supersonics responded if they didn’t have George Karl for a while, and were without stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp for the entire year? Well, they still had Nate McMillian, Sam Perkins, Detlef Schrempf, Ricky Pierce, and Kendall Gill. There was still talent on that roster to still compete, absolutely.

So, I am here to tell you that there is still talent on the 2019 Seattle Storm roster to compete and make the 2019 season worth watching. Canada is an electrically fast point guard with strong potential as an outside shooter. Howard is an athletic forward who won’t have the benefit of Breanna Stewart soaking up attention in the paint, but still possesses a skillset that other teams need to be wary of. Throw in the steady play and defensive prowess of small forward Alysha Clark, the high powered scoring abilities of shooting guard Jewell Loyd, and the long time veteran savvy of center Crystal Langhorne, and this feels like a starting five that could still give teams fits. A lot of it will hinge on Canada taking a big step forward. Personally, based on what I saw towards the end of the 2018 season, I think Canada is ready for it, and I’m excited to see it happen.

And this is still a team with more than capable talent coming off the bench. Veteran forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis can drain a three from almost anywhere, and shooting guard Sami Whitcomb was ON FIRE during the intense playoff series against the Phoenix Mercury. One could easily argue the her bench play was the match that lit the fire under the team that ultimately got Seattle past Phoenix in that dramatic series. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Whitcomb take a much bigger role on this team this year. I think she was poised to do it without the injuries to Bird and Stewart, and like Canada, I think she’s ready for it.

For the 2019 Seattle Storm it is simply a matter for next woman up, and this is why try fans watch. Can they do it? Can they stay competitive without their two brightest stars?

I’m in. Are you?

I hope so. These girls have earned it.

Go Storm.

This is what Monarchy looks like.

As mentioned in the title above, this is my one and only post about Game of Thrones. Not that I don’t like Game of Thrones, I actually quite enjoy the long running HBO show about swords, dragons, and the occasional unnecessary orgy scene. I’ve even enjoyed the last couple seasons in all their problematic hurried writing to get it to the finish line flourish. However,  since there is only one more episode left, I really don’t feel there is much for me to write about on it, but since this blog site states that I write about “Seahawks, Seattle sports, and other cool stuff,” I figured it was my blogger duty to write about this whole Game of Thrones thing at least once because it falls so squarely under the whole “other cool stuff” spectrum. And, well, that last episode called The Bells, right? That’s probably one worth writing a thing or two about, I would say.

Where to begin?

I know that since it aired last Sunday, there isn’t hardly a moment that I log onto Facebook where I don’t see a post, or article about it. If the writers and director did one thing fundamentally right with that episode, and that they put together an event that got  a lot of folks talking about it. I know in my own Facebook posts, I wrote two condensed hot takes about it that stretched conversation for a few days now. I got into one semi spat with a friend over who we thought was the real central figure to the series, and I got into a bit of heated exchange with someone else over the moral implications of a main character’s decisive actions. These both stretched into days. And I’m not even counting all the other posts I’ve read, and articles folks have shared that I spent time gazing at.

That this episode stirred the pot is probably the understatement of the year, thus far. I’ve seen folks blasting the writing. I’ve read bits that pretty well state that the show has become a sexist fantasy land for white dudes that need to win. I’ve also seen posts and articles stating that nobody should have been surprised about the shocking event that transpired because the show had been foreshadowing it for quite sometime. I’ve read counter articles saying how great the episode was. I’ve seen people post how heartbroken they are, how miserable they feel, and I’ve even had one unique long exchange with someone saying how glad they were that You Know Who Did You Know What.

Well, I guess I’m here to say that all of the above can be true.

I know. That’s a cop out. But anyone who truly knows me knows that I am perfectly capable of giving a quality cop out answer, and I am not going to not give one here. Sometimes, cop outs hurt, but we need to hear them, or in this case, read them. So, all of the above can be true. Now, let’s deal with that.

Warning! For those who haven’t seen The Bells episode yet, major spoilers are rolling out here forth. Go Hawks.

So, Queen Daenerys Targaryen (aka Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Dany.. last nickname is kinda sweet) did a bad thing in The Bells. Instead of liberating tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children during the Battle at Kings Landing, like she was pretty much swearing to do throughout the whole stretch of the show, she elected to murder them in cold blood, instead. Some would say hot blood because that look on her face moments before she did it was clearly a scowling look of hell bent fury anger, but I’m not so sure, and we will touch more on that later.

For many watching the show it was shocking to say the least, and for many of the shocked, it was also very upsetting. The reasons for being upset varied, but at least in the threads and articles I was following, “sexist lazy writing” seemed to be a thing that came up often. Personally, I think for those that feel that way about the writing, I can see that, and if that perspective is particularly held by a woman, I think it is one hundred percent wrong for anybody with a penis to make a counter argument, and if they do, their penis should be subject to dropping off into their pee stained underwear.

From my perspective, I sensed that this scenario was possibly going to happen for a few seasons now. I felt that there were enough hints along the way. Even more over, in this final season of episodes, I thought the writers were on a crack cocaine bender typing out the ridiculously obvious signals that Liberator Dany was about to turn into Tyrant Dany.

See, things hadn’t really gone young Queen Dany’s way after she landed on the shores of Westeros, poised to fulfill her destiny as the rightful ruler to sit on the Iron Throne, and liberate the oppressed masses. I mean sure, things started off great. She and her dragons kicked some opposition nobility’s butts here and there, and burnt them alive. She even met a really nice boy from the North who was pretty cute and masculine at the same time, but in that totally non threatening kind of way, you know, he could be firm and strong when you needed him to be, but also soft and tender.

So, anyway, this nice and hunky Jon Snow guy from up North convinced her that the real threat to Westeros wasn’t the evil queen of the South, but actually it was this immense Army of the Dead from, you know, the North that included giants, and thus, she decided to go up there and help him. And, frankly, why not? He’s a really nice guy, earnest, he’s cute, and he has a good point about that zombie army up North.. and, you know, maybe there is something there with him down the road. Who knows?

So, she heads North with Jon Snow to bring back one of the dead soldiers alive so that the evil queen of the South can see it for herself, and know for herself that she and Queen Dany need to work together to defeat them (I know. This is a lot to take in, but I only have this one post to cram this together, so I am just going to rush the writing a bit here. Yes. It’s lazy. I know). So up North there, they are joined by some other dudes that are going to confront the Army of the Dead, one really cool dude called the Hound, but he is straight up unseemly, so she doesn’t really notice him, and another old kinda ugly dude with a flaming sword who nobody remembers his name, and another dude who is essentially a big ginger-bearded goat f***er with a lot of personality. So she and them meet up with the Army of the Dead, and they fight, and it’s intense, and they get out of the North with one of the dead soldiers, but then she loses one of her Dragon children in the fight. Kind of a big emotional loss for her, and a big price for following along with the Jon guy’s ideas. But such as the cost for a Breaker of Chains set to take over the Throne one day and liberate the masses.

Fast forward, she heads South to show the Evil Queen the dead soldier dude, and dead soldier dude almost eats Evil Queen’s face off if it weren’t for the Hound holding him back (Hound is cool like that). So, Evil Queen decides to help Dany and Jon- no, not really, she just pretends- but good news is that Dany and Jon get naked together on the ship sailing back North and they do it. They have sex, and things are going great again because it was so sweet, and young hot people having sex is nice.

Until they get up North, and they fight the Army of the Dead without the supporting forces of the Evil Queen, and a lot of people die, and she looses her super close older male friend who was in love with her even though she couldn’t love him back in that way, and she felt really bad when he died because he died saving her, and then Jon finds out that he is actually secretly related to her, that she is, in fact, his auntie, and then he feels really bad about poking his auntie no matter how hot she is, and is acting all weird to her about it. So, things start to really turn south for her up there (pun intended). To make matters worse, she sees just how much the people of the North love Jon, and kind of don’t really give her the time of the day. I mean, they don’t really know her, and she has dragons, and her father was an insane murderous king, I think she probably needed to just give them time, but let’s be real; time is not something she had. Queen Dany Mother of Dragons don’t have time. She needed to get back down South and whoop ass on that lying, cheating, no good Evil Queen of the South with nice check bones.

So, Dany’s loosing patience, y’all. Now factor in the fact that little mister  Jon Snow tells her the truth he learned, and now they are all freaky weird with each other. She tries to kiss him to make it all better, but Jon Snow goes all prudish on her, and doesn’t want to make out with his auntie anymore, and she frankly isn’t cool with that because she is a hot girl who has never ben turned down before, AND she is the QUEEN. Fact, she’s rather butt hurt about this, but makes him promise he won’t tell anyone the truth because, you know, he’s actually the male heir to the throne, has better entitlement because they’re all a bunch of misogynists in Westeros, and the people will want him because they all like him because, let’s face it; Jon Snow is the Robert Kennedy of Westeros. He’s now a threat.

So, again, things not going great for Queen Mother of Dragons. She’s even starting to feel competition and jealousy over her nephew/lover. Bet she didn’t see any of this coming when she first touched the shores of Westeros.

Then, on top of all that, when she gets back down South to confront the Evil Queen, she discovers that the Evil Queen had built this massive land and sea force armed with gigantic cross bows as they started firing on her with them, and ended up killing another one of her dragon children. Son of a biscuit if that just doesn’t make a liberating queen wanna murder a few folks. Now she’s down two dragon babies and only got one left. Motherf***ers.

Then on top of that, Evil Queen managed to capture her best female friend, and in a meeting to offer surrender to the Evil Queen before burning her alive, stupid Evil Queen decides to decapitate the best female friend right in front of her for all to see. Game is on. Queen Dany ain’t got time for any more miscues, or bad surprises. She is ready to kill.

But surprise, surprise. Jon Snow couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and told his not really sisters anymore about who he really is, and then one of the not really his sisters anymore started telling those around Queen Dany who Jon Snow really is. That’s another annoying problem. Next thing you know, some people started looking at the loose cannon ways of Queen Dany when she gets mad-like and burns people alive, then they looking at the nice guy Robert Kennedy quality of Jon Snow, and they start thinking “Damn, I dunno, maybe we should elect this Jon Snow the King instead.” Eventually, Queen Dany finds this out, and that’s just too much, and now she’s gotta start burning alive some subjects. She’s no longer playing. She’s just flat out killing now.

Then, the next day, she has her ground forces fight with Jon Snow at Kings Landing, but she pretty much does all the damage on her own riding her remaining dragon child, and burns all the gigantic cross bows up, along with their shooters, and then burns all the Evil Queen’s ground forces up, as well. Battle pretty much won, but then she just kind of hangs tight for a bit, and surveys the situation. She looks things over, and sees all these non soldier people running, you know, mothers and young children, dudes who don’t fight, and she sees them screaming and running because, you know, there’s a fucking dragon flying around burning everything.

Then, that’s when it happens. The whole fiery awful thing. She just pretty much says fuck it, and starts flying, and burning all the innocents. Evil Queen eventually dies. Unfortunately, so does the Hound, but at least it’s cool because he takes his asshole brother down with him. Some people, like Jon, and the short smart person who believed in her, all kind of freaked out because they thought she was the liberator of people not the mass murderer.. and then she goes and mass murders. So, like they just get the fuck out of there.

So, there we have it. All perfect summed up in all my rushed sloppy unearned writing.

Here’s my final take on all this. Game of Thrones has become a hot mess of writing the past few seasons because the dudes running the helm, David Benioff and DB Weiss have each one foot out the door ready to go work for Disney on a new Star Wars trilogy together. In short, they wanted to wrap this whole series up superfast, and the result is hyper rushed writing where the writing was once grounded in nuance for five seasons or more. Word as even come out recently that HBO was actually encouraging them to add more episodes into this final season, but they were like “nah, we kind of want to just finish this out and move along.”

I mean these dudes are Gen X film dorks. Can you blame them for wanting to jump ships to take over Star Wars for Disney? They are legitimately now living their childhood dreams. But the result is rushed writing that doesn’t feel like any dramatic shifts are ever fully earned. I’ve enjoyed these shows for what they are, but I have clearly sensed that with each episode in varying degrees for the last couple seasons.

I don’t know about the sexism accusations on all this turn with Daenerys Targaryen. I think clearly, they felt compelled that Jon Snow is the righteous idealized sort of servant soldier/king that people should feel that he should be King. A sort of Robert Kennedy type who is clearly with the people and for the people. They even wanted him to not desire the crown on any level, much like supposedly George Washington didn’t want to be made King of the US after the American Revolution. I think with Daenerys the arc has always been about birthright and that frankly leads to entitlement. Of course she wants to free the oppressed, and stop tyranny, she’s young and idealistic, and feels that she is in the best position to do that, but she also wanted that throne really badly.. because it should be hers. She’s the Rightful Queen.

Personally, I’m glad that Benioff and Weiss took her character to this place for blood thirty mass murder. She’s a monarch. This is what monarchs do. Go back all throughout history. Go back into Shakespeare’s London. I’m sure you will find a scenario or fifty when a knucklehead either looked at or sneezed at Queen Elizabeth the wrong way and it was pretty much off with his head.

Monarchs murder. That is what they do. That’s what they feel they have to do. If your life is not important to them, if it is not serving them, if you don’t bend a knee then, your life is worthless.

I had someone saying to me the other day that I was making this show too political in my comments, that it isn’t based on things that happen in this day and age. You think this doesn’t happen in this day and age? Well, just a few short months ago a certain crown prince of Saudi Arabia didn’t like what a Saudi journalist who was writing for the Washington Post was writing about him, and he ordered his murder, and the journalist was brutality butchered, chopped into pieces, and hauled off in plastic bags. Monarchs murder.

Queen Daenerys Mother of Dragons Breaker of Chains is a cold blooded murderer. She’s not a mad queen. She knew exactly what was at stake. She new that the people weren’t going to love her, not like Jon Snow, so she murdered them. She also knew full well that those who survived sure as hell weren’t going to rise up, and go support Jon Snow. Shoot, she was probably searching for Jon Snow to murder at the time, as well.

This is the right direction to take this story and finish out this show. I hope that Benioff and Weiss do it right, and Daenerys keeps that stupid inherently evil throne, and essentially stays what monarchs are, and that is ruthless oppressing tyrants.

Closing the show out like that will leave a mark. It will say something. It will show the continuation of the vicious cycle of the tyranny that the show began with, and just how inherently difficult it is to move away from that tyranny. Bitter for many, sure, but a mark none the less, and it will be grounded in truth with dragon, swords, and all.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

That’s why three co equal branches of government are so critically important. They keep the United States from becoming a place like Westeros where life, even the most innocent life, is totally disposable in the eyes of monarchy. Let’s hope and pray we hang onto those co equal branches. We don’t need to bend a knee to anyone.

Go Hawks.

Angry Doug? Or Thoughtful Leader? Allanah picks the latter. Photo by Ted S Warren/ AP

For me, this version of the Seattle Seahawks, undoubtedly the best version of the Seahawks (ring doesn’t lie), started when #15 slipped in for a 55 yard touchdown in the first game of 2011. The play – and season – are largely forgettable in Seahawks lore, because they lost the game, and didn’t make the playoffs that season. This was part of the Tavaris Jackson Starting Quarterback Year, and he was never the best starting quarterback. He was an amazing backup, and was the perfect fit for the team for that position (serving as backup quarterback and lucky charm through their back to back Super Bowl appearances) But this isn’t about Tavaris Jackson.

This is about my favorite Seahawk of All-Time, one of the most physically and mentally touch competitors ever on a football field, and one of the most thoughtful and compassionate people in the public eye off it, as well as the best receiver the team as ever had (and you can fight me on that) and someone who I expect will be more impactful to the world after he leaves the sport than before. This is about Doug Baldwin (Angry Doug Baldwin).

Doug Baldwin gave up the number 15 after that rookie season for Matt Flynn (teehee) and ended up taking the far more appropriate number for his game, 89 (it’s a number that just feels right. SEATTLE FRONT OFFICE YOU RETIRE THAT NUMBER RIGHT NOW!). I enjoyed watching his game develop over those first two seasons, and seeing how a player could just work work work work work, and raise his game to a level equal to the best receivers in football. Over the course of about four and a half seasons (2013 – 2018) Doug Baldwin caught basically every single football thrown to him, scored like 100 touchdowns, Russ had an over 200 passer rating when targeting and he made opposing defenses cry after every play. Obviously, I exaggerate, but there was a spell in there, where he had these absurd numbers, which I don’t care much about, other than to say the connection he had with Russell Wilson was unbelievable and sustained across even the worst of the Seahawks most recent seasons.

What that doesn’t show, though, is the impact that Doug had off the field. Crosscut recently had a fourth iteration of a festival of ideas where he was the second name listed on the poster (he was the only athlete involved it appeared), and he was right at home to be speaking about social activism and dealing with the controversy that comes from sticking your neck out as an athlete. He consistently takes a measured approach to social issues, speaks about things that he knows about, and then waits to hear all of the information without rushing to have an opinion. His involvement in the various players based alliances around kneeling at games and police brutality is all right there, front page in his bio, and his soft spoken thoughtfulness about these impactful issues (along with some other great activist athletes I could talk about, but this is about my boy Doug) makes me think that he could be an advocate and a thoughtful leader about any kind of issue that he wants. When you ask him a question he hasn’t thought about before, he thinks about it before he answers, and you can see those gears moving in his head, and that is a quality that is virtually absent in public discourse right now, and so so so so so SOOO, necessary.

Even Angry Doug Baldwin (the best nickname ever, because it’s always the full name) was only angry on the field. He would still take the dais with the mic and present the mellow, thought out version of whatever Richard Sherman was saying (they were like a political Laurel and Hardy in a way). Richard was the mouth, and Doug the voice, and every time they engaged in a discussion with the media together, it was must watch.

And perhaps the most amazing tidbit about Doug was the fact that if he wasn’t catching touchdowns from Russ, he would have become (and still might become) a math teacher at the high school level. Now do I think that that is the best use of his mind and charisma going forward? Maybe, though I want him to become the best elite athlete/politician to ever live (really, so long as he passes Steve Largent, I’m happy with that result), and I want him to never move back to Florida. But if he were teaching math at a school somewhere here in Seattle, those would be some amazingly lucky kids, getting to learn from someone who is so clearly invested in thoughtfulness.

I am going to miss everything about watching Doug Baldwin on Sundays, but I don’t think that I am going to have to miss his impact going forward. All signs point to him knowing that his work isn’t done, that there are people out there who need his help, and that he is a person who can help them. I hope that he brings his Angry Doug Baldwin to the political sphere, and makes the world hear him.

Doug Baldwin, you are, and will always be my favorite Seahawk. You are the best receiver the Seahawks ever had. You have improved this community through sheer force of work ethic, effort, thoughtfulness and compassion. And I think that next, you are going to be the most influential athlete activist/politician of all time. I can’t wait to watch the rest of your journey.

-Allanah Raas Bergquist

Many people close to this team knew that this day was probably coming sooner than later. For Kam Chancellor it was pretty obvious, but for Doug Baldwin, it was less so, but over time, started to become more obvious.

For Chancellor, we knew that in 2017 his career was likely over after the neck injury he suffered against Arizona midway through that season. Yet he had just signed a big extension with the team that was full of guaranteed money, and thus it was not financially feasible for him to retire in 2018, as that would mean forfeiting all those guarantees. So he stayed with the team in 2018 as a non active player, but he was essentially retired, and in 2019, it would just be a matter of formality for the team to officially release him so that he can collect the remainder of his guaranteed earnings while the team could collect it’s portion of non-guarantees, if that makes sense.

For Baldwin, things were a bit different, but there were those close enough to him during the 2018 season who hinted that his time in the NFL might be coming to a close after the season. There were rumblings on Seahawks Twitter that perhaps the player was ready to move on. Doug had a tough season battling through various injuries, and a lot of his close friends were no longer players on the team. There was a read-between-the-lines sense that perhaps the game might have stopped being fun for him, and as we got into the official 2019 offseason mode of the team, reports started to surface that he was having to have multiple offseason operations, and he was, in fact, contemplating retirement. So anyone following these reports shouldn’t have been overly shocked about what just happened earlier today.

For me these releases are a simple formality by the team done as a solid to each one of these iconic players. By releasing each one, they get to keep their guaranteed dollars that they fought and earned, and frankly, put their lives at risk for. If each player filed for retirement, they would have forfeited those dollars. So, while it comes across cold on the sports tickers that Seattle released these two icons, it’s far from it.

For me it’s sad knowing that I will not see Kam Chancellor and Doug Baldwin suit up anymore in Seahawks uniforms on Sundays, but this is something I have been bracing for a while now. There was a reason why Seattle took two safeties and three receivers in the draft the other week.

But this little piece isn’t really about those replacements. This is about acknowledging what truly wonderful and unique players Seattle was fortunate enough to have in a oversized fifth round pick of a strong safety, and a short un-drafted slot receiver with a massive chip on his shoulder. These guys were special, and it took the league quite a while to truly recognize just how special they were. Physically, they had talent, but I think both men reached the height of their success by what was inside them. Kam Chancellor and Doug Baldwin are lions. Absolute lions. On a team that prided themselves of having a bunch of “dogs” for players, these two guys were lions.

That’s how I see them. That’s how I will remember them. They kept the other players around them honest, and focused. They were the epitome of the franchise player; the players that always had the team’s best interests at heart. I love those guys. As my son grows up, I will point to them, and tell him that they are the dudes to be like.

What this means for Seattle moving forward is a topic for another post. I said it with the recent Ziggy Ansah post, and I will say it with this one; I don’t think Seattle is done with its offseason acquisition of talent. Now with these two big salaries off the books, it opens up further cap space to continue adding more pass rush, and now probably another receiver. But for me, I just know I am really going to miss that dynamic Wilson to Baldwin connection this Fall.. just like I missed seeing Chancellor dynamically roaming the back end of the defense last Fall.

It’s tough to see players you love leave your team, and the game, but at least with these two, they leave the game as Seahawks. In this modern era of the NFL, that’s rather rare. So for me, it means a ton. Selfishly, this is how I want to see them go out. I don’t want one of them playing for the 49ers, and the other one playing for the Patriots. I want them to go off as Seahawks.

As Seattle Seahawk fans, we have enjoyed an absolute incredible run of NFL football over the past seven years or more. They spoiled us big time. Kam Chancellor and Doug Baldwin were heart and soul players in that time, and I hope that the team puts them in the Ring of Honor together, just as soon as they can. They deserve that honor. We deserve that.

Go Hawks.

It was apparent when Seattle traded Frank Clark tot the Kansas City Chiefs the day before the NFL Draft that Seattle had a plan to replace him. Many thought it would be through the draft, and while they did select a pass rusher in round one in TCU’s LJ Collier, he is a very different player than Clark. He’s more of an inside/out pass rusher like Michael Bennett was for the team. I suspect Seattle was also targeting a pure edge rusher in the draft, but the draft simply didn’t land that way for them, and they also wanted to add to other positions. That annoyed my tabby cat Earl, but as I explained to him, I also suspected that was okay because they had plans to replace Clark’s edge rush available on the veteran market.

Enter Ziggy Ansah, at 6-6 270 lbs, who Pro Football Focus listed as their top performing pass rusher in QB pressures last year despite him missing a bunch of games due to injury. He’s thirty years old, and coming off of a shoulder injury, but if healthy could also become a more productive player than Clark. He is also on a one year incentive laden  prove-it deal.

This really good be a smart move for the player and the team. Seattle needs a motivated Ansah to beat the Rams and 49ers, and Ansah needs a bounce back season in Seattle to reset his free agent market in 2020. Given Seattle’s history to bringing in veteran talent to it’s defensive line, I’m actually a pretty big fan of this move, and they might have made it anyways, even if they drafted an edge rusher along with Collier.

Moving forward, I don’t think Seattle is done adding veteran talent to it’s defensive line. They have the cap space, and could clear more up by cutting a few bubble players. I will say it now; don’t be shocked if the team adds Ndamukong Suh in the near future. He’s from the PNW, and reportedly wants to stay on the West Coast. It makes a ton of sense for him to agree to a similar deal with Seattle as Ansah just did. I also think that in play are defensive tackles Corey Liuget, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Gerald McCoy if he is released by Tampa Bay. Seattle has options available on the free agent market, and they might even sign a couple more players; a defensive tackle and another edge rusher.

Final thought; I think we might be seeing the future of how the Seattle Seahawks will deal beyond the mega contract extension of Russell Wilson. They simply can not afford to keep all their star players, especially the younger ones once their contracts are due. By trading Clark for a first round pick, and signing Ansah, Seattle seems to have taken a direct page out of the New England Patriots offseason play book. Clark was going to be expensive, and Ansah is more of a bargain. Both players offer similar production.

Personally, I think that’s okay, especially if it is on the defensive side of the ball. Pete Carroll knows what he wants on his defensive line, and with Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Tony McDaniel, Alan Branch, and a host of other vets, he has the track record for success.

Great move by Seattle signing this cat. Go get another one.

Go Hawks!

Earl wasn’t thrilled that the Seahawks didn’t add more edge help, but was he happy with the other picks? Find out below. Go Hawks.

Welcome to our first annual Seattle Seahawks Draft Grading Thing-y. After every NFL draft, I will sit down with my expert panel, and we will discuss each pick made by the Seattle Seahawks, and then assign a grade. Full discloser, draft grades are meaningless. For example, Seattle’s legendary 2012 draft class that included Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, and JR Sweezy got an F by some so called high profile national draft expert on one of those cable networks. Meaningless.

My expert panel includes myself, my orange tabby cat, Earl, and my black medium haired cat, Kam. Here are our meaningless draft grades. Yay!

LJ Collier, Defensive Lineman, TCU. Grade B+

Curtis: I mocked this guy to Seattle in our first mock draft. I’m smart. Seriously, though. This is the type of pick I thought Seattle would make. They needed pass rush, and Collier  dominated Senior Bowl practices going against top offensive linemen coming out of college. Carroll’s version of the 4-3 defense is a hybrid scheme that requires hybrid talent, and that is this guy. He can play all over the line. Solid pick. A-

Earl: I love that fact that they drafted a defensive lineman first. Every year they should take a defensive or offensive lineman first. That’s how you win in this league. But they traded away their top edge rusher in Frank Clark, and this guy looks like he is going to do most of his rushing inside. Isn’t Rasheem Green supposed to be that? Meh. B

Kam: This dude? This dude is a dude, dude. I mean, dude, when I look at this dude? I see strong hands that will strike you as he explodes out of his stance, long arms that will follow that with a heavy club, and then a nice low center of gravity that, if he gets inside you, you’re done. They might have him listed at a defensive end, but at 6-2 and 283lbs, I can see him maybe growing into a pass rushing defensive tackle. I like this dude. A-

Marquise Blair, Safety, Utah. Grade A-

Earl. Yes. That’s what I am talking about. The Seattle Seahawks gone out and got themselves a safety who loves to smack people into next week. Let’s face the facts, Jacks. Seattle’s secondary last year was not good. On one of their better days, you could maybe call them fair, but that’s not good. To make matters worse, they did Earl Thomas dirty, and didn’t bring him back. Now, they got this Blair kid, they’re starting to make amends. They still got a way to go, but I love this pick. A+

Curtis: I mocked him to Seattle a couple times. I’m smart. Definitely going to help Seattle in the run game. My only concerns is that at 6-1 195lbs, that feels slight. Does he hold up? Because your best ability is availability. I love that this is another pick to continue getting tougher on the defense, though. Blair is Seattle’s highest drafted DB since Earl Thomas. That says something to me. They like this guy a lot. A-

Kam: This pick is about beating the Rams. When the Rams played us last year, those receivers were running around not really all that scared, even though we knocked one of them out of a game and for the season, and their running backs were getting huge gains because we weren’t tackling well in space. What I love about this pick is that he is strong against the run, and he does is with a lot of speed. My only wee concern is that frame. A-

DK Metcalf, Wide Receiver, Utah. Grade A

Earl: Seattle got the steel of the draft right here at pick 64. A 6-3 228lbs Marvel character who can run 4.33 in a forty? Yeah, I don’t care if his college route tree wasn’t advanced. You’re pairing him up with arguably the best deep passing QB in the league in Russell Wilson. With this guy, you run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, then BOOM! – you hit ‘em with the play action. Defenses are always going to be thinking about that all game long. A+

Kam: Neck injuries scare me, and he had that in college. So, I see why he dropped. He also didn’t show great short area quickness, but that isn’t the style of receiver he is. This guy is a classic split end receiver whose job is to take the top off defenses. If he can stay healthy, and things click for this cat, good night Irene. The Seattle Seahawks are going to be a fun team to watch. A

Curtis: He’s a freak. Probably the freakiest player in this draft class, and the most boom or bust. I love the pick for the simple fact that Seattle swung for the fences here. They went yard for a guy who, if he develops, could become one of the absolute stars of the league. He has that kind of talent. The injury history scares me a bit, and I think fans need to be patient with the guy because receivers tend to take a while to develop. A-

Cody Barton, Linebacker, Utah. Grade B

Curtis: To be honest, I didn’t know who this guy was. I had to look him up. They moved up to take him at 88, and then afterwards the Colts took a linebacker with a more recognizable name. So, I’m guessing that the league was more in love with this guy than the experts. I love it when picks like this are made because it shows that the league knows more about football than the pundits. That said, Barton moves well in coverage and tackles well in space. Like him. B+

Earl: Would have liked to have seen edge rusher here. They traded Clark and then drafted a DE/DT hybrid. Clark was an edge. They need edge help. I’m not saying that Barton isn’t a good player. He might be really good. He might replace KJ or Bobby if they loose one of those guys to injury or free agency, and he might become the next pro bowl linebacker on the defense, but he is what he is, and that is a linebacker. There was that edge dude from the Old Dominion sitting right there, and they didn’t take him. C

Kam: How many pro bowl edge rushers have you seen coming out of Old Dominion? How many NFL players do you see coming out of there? This dude was a leader on a tough Utah defense that gave the PAC 12 fits last year. This dude is a big, quick linebacker that can cover, and he can tackle. I said it about Blair and I will say it again here. This pick is about beating the Rams. If you are going to beat the Rams, you have got to be a good tackling team in space. Period. That’s what this guy does. A-

Gary Jennings, Wide Receiver. Grade A-

Kam: The news about Doug Baldwin sucks. In fact, it also blows. It sucks, and it blows. It suck blows. Seattle needed to come out of this draft with multiple receivers. They got one guy in Metcalf take the top of the defense, but it looks like they double dipped here because this guy looks like he can take the top off the defense, too. Guess what? They got Tyler Lockett who can also take the top off the defense, as well. Now, they can’t all be doing that at the same time. Someone has to work underneath. I gotta feeling they are going to have this guy working underneath, or Tyler. I’m just thinking out loud here. I like his size. A-

Curtis: I mocked this guy to Seattle in our last mock leading to the NFL draft. I’m smart. Seriously, though. I think this guy feels like a Seahawk receiver. He actually kind of reminds me of Jermaine Kearse. He has decent size, he’s fast and athletic, can catch contested passes and turn up field. I like this pick a lot. A

Earl: Seattle needed another edge rusher, but it is true that the news about Baldwin possibly retiring is sucky. Just would have liked to have seen an edge rusher here. B

Phil Haynes, Guard, Wake Forrest. Grade A

Earl: Now this here is a pick. Get this big, bad, nasty road grater up here in the 206. This dude is built like a Sherman tank, and he moves like jeep. Sorry for the WW2 military mobile machinery references, there, but I can’t help myself. This is old school football. Seattle needed to draft another edge rusher, but Seattle got great value. He’s going to be a starter, y’all. If not this year, then next. And he’s going to be gooooooooood. A+

Kam: 6-4 333lbs of pure mass blocking in front of Russell Wilson. He’s strong and athletic, too. I’m good with it. A-

Curtis: Yeah, he’s another guy who’s name I wasn’t familiar with. Having said that, when I started looking at him online, he got me fired up. I think the safe bet is that he is a starter by 2020. Really like this pick. A

Ugo Amadi, Safety, Oregon. Grade B+

Curtis: Yeah, I gotta to be honest again. No idea who this was. That said, he’s the 2018 Lombardi winner, which is given to the college player best showing leadership. So, you got to think that the Seahawks got another alpha personality type here. At 5-9 199lbs, I wonder if he is a replacement for nickel corner Justin Coleman. I trust Pete Carroll on this one. B

Earl: Seattle drafted another safety. This goes back to all my points last year that the LOB was LOL. This cat is another sure tackler. He’s a leader. He plays the ball well. He can play nickel and safety. Needed edge rusher, but like this pick. B+

Kam: I said it about Blair. I said it about Barton. I will say it about this dude. This pick is all about beating the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. You want to beat the Rams. You got to be a good tackling team in space, and you got to cover. Guess what? This guy can tackle, and cover, and he’s smart, and he’s a leader. I like that Seattle is going back to their DNA with picks like this. A-

Ben Burr-Kirven, Linebacker, Washington. Grade A+

Curtis: Seattle drafted Ben Burr-Kirven! Ben Burr-Kirven, y’all! Ben Burr-Kirven! A+

Kam: I love it when daddy is happy! Seriously, though. BBK is a baller. Dude is fast, can cover, and tackle. See the theme, here? This pick is all about beating the Los Angeles Rams. If you want to beat the Rams, you have to tackle and cover, and it helps when you got linebackers who can do that fast. I think this is the steel pick of the draft. A+

Earl: Seattle drafted Ben Burr-Kirven! Ben Burr-Kirven, y’all! Ben Burr-Kirven! A+

Travis Homer, Running back, Miami. Grade B

Earl: This is the pick that came in where I started resigning myself to the fact that Seattle was not going to draft another edge rusher, they would probably look to veteran free agency afterwards, and I was going to have to poop on your pillow. His college tape is fine. Kind of reminds me of Thomas Rawls a bit. B

Curtis: Pete Carroll knows running backs. I like this pick because Seattle lost Mike Davis in free agency, and CJ Prosise can never stay healthy. So, even though the team has Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, depth is an issue. B+

Kam: I looked at his highlight tape while you were changing my litter box, and I really liked what I saw. Fast, decisive, has a nice extra gear. I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a role on this offense right away, maybe on third downs. B

Demarcus Christmas, Defensive Tackle, Florida State. Grade C-

Kam: He’s probably an early down run stopper type. Yeah. Honestly, I don’t know what they have here. Maybe they know something that we don’t. C

Curtis: I know the name because at one point he was thought be perhaps be a third or fourth round pick. But he never stood out in college, and was kind of a rotational player. He flashed a little bit of pass rush here and there. Maybe they think they can uncork something out of him. They needed DT depth, though. C

Earl: They needed an edge rusher, and when they took this cat. I admit it.. I pooped on your pillow at this point. They took a defensive tackle with no explosive traits. D+

John Ursua, Wide Receiver, Hawaii. Grade C+

Curtis: Yet another play that I will not pretend to know, but they were out of picks in this draft, they traded back into it in round seven to grab him. So, obviously, they felt that they needed him. He’s short. So he is probably the slot guy that they feel they need to help replace Baldwin. Interestingly, he led the nation in touchdown catches with a whopping 16. Not a track star. C+

Earl: Another signal to me that Angry Doug is probably Done Doug. It would be really amusing to me if looking back five years from now, this guy was the star of this draft class. Personally, that’d just amuse me. B-

Kam: It’s a scary thought having no more Doug in a Seattle uniform. I’m not ready for that, but if it’s coming, Seattle has to be ready. This little dude was a productive college slot receiver, so why not? Go Hawks. C+

Closing Thoughts, and Final Grade for the Seattle Draft Class. A-

Curtis: Seattle had to draft Collier, and I think they got someone who can be a solid piece of the puzzle moving forward. In fact, I think he could easily become a fan favorite. As the draft went on, Seattle got great value. Solid draft. A

Kam: Like this draft class. Didn’t see any reaches, and I think they got steels in Metcalf, Haynes, and BBK. Collier, though; that dude is a dude, dude. A-

Earl: I thought Seattle came up short at edge rusher, which is frustrating in a deep defensive line draft. I think the Barton pick should have been another edge rusher, but if Barton is better than the edge rushers that were available, I guess I’m okay with that. Metcalf, Blair, Haynes, and BBK excite me. B+

Seattle drafts a Husky legend, and a potential fan favorite. (Photography By: Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

Kam Chancellor, KJ Wright, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Michael Dickson, Tre’ Flowers, Chris Carson, JR Sweezy,  and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith.

What do these guys all have in common? All solid to pro bowl level starters that Seattle has drafted on Day Three of the Draft under Pete Carroll and John Schneider.

There is some interesting stuff to get through today. So, let’s dig into it.

With the news that Doug Baldwin might be calling it a career, Seattle has found itself probably more than a bit desperate at receiver. Yesterday’s pick of DK Metcalf shouldn’t have shocked everyone. Seattle swung for the fences drafting immense upside (literally, at 6-3 and 228 lbs), but they needed more. Metcalf is a very different receiver from other Seattle receivers in the Russell Wilson era. He’s a pure deep ball artist with freakish size and speed. They needed a possession route runner to potentially replace Baldwin.

Enter Gary Jennings of West Virginia early in Round Four. This feels like is a classic Seattle receiver, and we mocked him in the third round to Seattle in our final mock draft posted earlier in the week. He has size at 6-1 214 lbs, and elite speed, and agility. His style might be more Jermaine Kearse than Doug Baldwin, but that’s okay. Kearse had a great chemistry with Wilson, a skillset that matched the QB when plays broke down, and an uncanny ability to grab contested passes along with some tough running after the catch. Looking at Jennings’ highlights, he checks a lot of these boxes.

Interestingly enough, Jennings has his own history with Wilson. He went to grade school with Wilson’s sister in Virginia, and was actually coached by RW himself when he was in youth basketball. This might have been an RW influenced pick, and don’t be surprised if Jennings has a more immediate impact in this offense than Metcalf in year one. Love the potential of this pick.

Phil Haynes is a massive human being at offensive guard with upper level athleticism. He’s a fit for what Seattle now wants at guard and could easily end up a start over the next year or two. This is the other early fourth round pick to continue building around RW.

The next two picks I think represent Seattle’s attempt to answer the Los Angeles Rams more than anything else. Seattle drafted hard hitting Oregon DB and 2018 Lombardi Award Winner Ugo Amadi, and then coverage linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven from Washington. Both players work great in coverage and both are solid open field tacklers. Seattle’s defense was hit and miss last year, and when it was miss, it was usually in missed tackles, and during the two games against the Rams, it was a lot of missed tackles. With safety Marquise Blair and linebacker Cody Barton drafted Friday, and Amadi and BBK today, Seattle is obviously addressing coverage, tackling, and special teams. All these picks probably represent getting back to their DNA, and a signal that they are gearing up for the Rams.

Amadi is a lot of fun to watch, feels like a potentially solid pick to replace nickel corner Justin Coleman, but personally, I think the Seahawks might have gotten the steel of the day in BBK. That dude is a flat out baller. Check him out here. I’m calling it now. I think he could end up being an iconic Seahawk pick, and I’m willing to bet a distant relative’s pinky finger that he will be an immediate fan favorite.

At the end of the sixth round, Seattle took a fast “run to daylight” running back in Miami’s Travis Homer. With Mike Davis leaving in free agency, and CJ Prosise always injured, this pick makes a ton of sense, and on the NFL.com’s draft prospect page one anonymous NFC scout had this to say, “he’s a very loyal player.. his competitive nature stands out.. I think someone has a chance to get a steal with him.” Interesting.

Also at the end of round sixth, Seattle finally took another defensive lineman, taking Florida State DT Demarcus Christmas. Christmas was not an overly productive player at Florida State, but he was a former four star recruit. At 6-3 and 294lbs, he has a build that suggests a potential early down 3 technique, but truthfully, this is probably a late round flyer on a player they think might have some untapped potential.

Finally, not to be finished for the day, Seattle traded back into the draft in round seven and took another receiver in Hawaii’s John Ursua. I will be honest, I don’t know squat about this guy. Apparently, he’s 5-9 and 178lb slot receiver, but Mel Kiper on the tel-y says he can play in this league. Clearly, Seattle thought enough about him to make sure they got back into the draft to take him. If Baldwin is done, they will need help in the slot. Interesting stuff indeed.

Final Thoughts. 

Seattle will be spending the next 24 hours filling out their roster with underrated rookie free agents. Speaking of Baldwin and also Kearse, each one of these guys went famously un-drafted and became quality starters. Last year they stole defensive tackle Poona Ford out of that pool, and he’s already being thought of as the next great un-drafted Seattle starter. Pete Carroll loves giving un-drafted players the opportunity to compete.

With Frank Clark trades, that opens up some salary cap for Seattle to also be potentially doing a little veteran free agent spending over the next few weeks. My hunch is that they will go the veteran route to adding more pass rush, and I would be shocked if they bring back Jermaine Kearse.

It’s going to continue being an interesting offseason well after this draft. They ain’t done yet. Can’t wait to see what comes next.

Go Hawks.