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.

No, this is not a defensive end. This is Russell Wilson’s new wide out, DK Metcalf. Ya dig?

It’s apparent that theme of the 2019 Seahawks is to get back to the DNA that made them a Super Bowl contender. In the first round on Thursday, Seattle took a tough, physical, tone setting defensive lineman in LJ Collier that can stack the run, and rush the QB from multiple positions, a la Michael Bennett. On day two, with the 47th pick, Seattle took arguably the hardest hitting free safety in all of college football last year in Utah’s Marquise Blair. Watching his highlights, I can’t tell if Blair is more Earl Thomas or Kam Chancellor, but I think if they had a baby together is would be this guy. We’ve mocked both of these players to Seattle over the past couple weeks, and Blair we mocked twice.

If you study the draft and look at these players, both make a ton of sense. Both guys feel like Pete Carroll players, and during many Utah games, commentators would frequently mention how much Blair seemed like a Seattle type of DB. So, there we have it. Blair is a Seattle Seahawk DB.

He’s fast, hard hitting, he can cover, and he can tackle, and that is probably what Seattle wants more than anything else. I think when Earl Thomas was lost to injury last year, what began to plague the defense, more than anything else, especially in the games against the Rams, was missed tackles in space. You won’t get that from Blair, and that’s why I love this pick.

But if that wasn’t enough, Seattle traded back up into the end of round one and to 6-3 228 lb wide receiver DK Metcalf, who looks like he is something straight out of Marvel Studios Casting. The dude is cut like a greek god comic book character, and runs a blistering 4.33 forty yard dash. That’s faster the Tyler Lockett, and that’s a dude built like Kam Chancellor. While he’s a bit of a one trick pony running go patterns, at the same time, that pretty much fits a lot of what Seattle now does these days offensively. Once he learns more comprehensive patterns, good night Irene, there is no telling what he might do in this league. The one caveat here, out side of his limited route running, is that he had a neck injury his senior year, and those two things together probably add up to why he was available at 64.

What’s most exciting about Seattle moving up to get Metcalf is that they clearly are ready to swing for the fences on this guy. Carroll has always wanted a receiver like this in Seattle, but they have never been in great position to take one, and if what he does is stretch defenses and out muscle DBs for deep balls, well he’s about to be matched with one of the premier deep ball passing quarterbacks in the league in Russell Wilson. On paper, this seems like a fascinating match, and with the sad news coming out the Doug Baldwin might be calling it a career, it’s also seems to be a suddenly necessary one.

Seattle had one final pick on day two and that was Utah linebacker Cody Barton at pick 88. Honestly, I don’t know much about Barton, but it is interesting that Seattle moved up in front of Indianapolis to take him, and Indy took Stafford linebacker Bobby Okereke, who is probably a more widely known player. It’s clear that Barton was Seattle’s guy and they were afraid of loosing him to Indy. Looking at highlights from a 2018 game against Washington, it appears like Barton is a fluid athlete the drops comfortably in coverage, and is a patient sure tackler. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the PAC 12 starting linebacker with the least amount of missed tackles last year, and a national leader in coverage stops. Put all that together with good speed, strength and agility at the combine, and things become clear why Seattle moved up for him. He’s the highest drafted Seattle linebacker since they took Bobby Wagner in the second round in 2012, and with KJ Wright getting older and coming off an injury filled season, linebacker was probably a bigger need for the team than many were anticipating. I’m excited to see what this guy does.

With Collier, and Blair, Seattle is clearly looking for new tone setters on the defense. They want to be the intimidators again, and they want players that will get under the skin of the opponents. With Barton, they want steady and reliable play at linebacker, a la KJ Wright.

But with Metcalf, they want an absolute beast of a man at wide receiver. This guy satisfies the “Build Around Me Damn it” Clause in Russell Wilson’s new mega contract.

Thoughts about Day Three for Seattle. 

Seattle has three picks in the fourth round, one pick in the fifth, and one in the sixth. Teams can still find decent starting talent in the fourth. Seattle has addressed pass rush, safety, receiver, and linebacker. They could look for more pass rush, or run stopping help. They could add a corner. They can also add more receiver, or tight end help, and of course, they can go offensive line.

Here is a list of some interesting players with definite starting potential.

Hakeen Butler, Wide Receiver, Iowa State; another long fast receiver.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Safety, Florida; an athletic slot defender thought to be a high second round pick.

Renell Wren, Defensive Tackle, Arizona State; a massive human being who is an athletic freak for his size but needs to play with better disciple.

Dander Walker, Edge rusher, Georgia; thought to be a potential second round pick.

Christian Miller, Edge rusher, Alabama; kind of a Bruce Irvin type speed rusher.

Michael Jordan, Guard, Ohio State; not that Michael Jordan, but a massive run blocker.

Dru Samia, Guard, Oklahoma; an athletic guard who plays with a nasty edge.

Anthony Nelson, Defensive End, Iowa; a long base end with good pass rushing traits.

Amari Hooker, safety, Iowa; another hybrid defender thought to be a second round pick.

If Seattle should land any one these guys, you should rejoice as a Twelve. These guys are solid talents. Clearly, there is still value left at edge rusher, a really interesting defensive tackle, and there is some extremely interesting options left at DB. Don’t be surprised if Seattle targets another safety to convert to corner or nickel. They lost nickel corner Justin Coleman to free agency, and Gardner-Johnson, and Hooker could be interesting options early in the fourth. 

Also, I don’t know if they do go for another big body at receiver, but I find the idea of adding Butler fascinating. Seattle has always been about shorter quicker receivers in the Russell Wilson era. I’ve always wondered about how Wilson would fair with bigger faster targets like the Saints have always surrounded Brees with. Just a thought.

Go Hawks.

LJ Collier can bring the heat at defensive end and defensive tackle. (Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)

I mocked LJ Collier a couple weeks ago to Seattle as their first pick. Yay!

I’m smart.

Seriously though, I think if we step back, this is a classic Seattle Seahawk pick under Pete Carroll. Watch his highlight tape. His game reminds me of one of my absolute favorite Seahawks; one Michael Bennett. At a stout 6-2 and 283 lbs, and with long arms, he has the strength to stack the run, and he has advanced pass rush moves to bully and confuse offensive linemen while getting to the quarterback. What I see is a strong run defender, and a disruptive pass rusher. I also see versatility as he can play multiple positions on the defensive line, and I think that is a critically important trait for head coach Pete Carroll. It actually wouldn’t shock me if he starts out as an end, but becomes a three down pass rushing three technique defensive tackle down the line. In my opinion, this is a really exciting pick.

One thing is that he is not is Frank Clark. Clark was a speed rushing end for Seattle, but Seattle doesn’t necessarily need to replace Clark with another edge rusher; they just need to find another passer rusher regardless of position. This is Collier, and while on paper Seattle is thin at rush end, this draft it deep at defensive line. I fully expect that Seattle continues to continue to add there over the next couple days, and I think Louisiana Tech end Jaylon Ferguson is easily still in play early on Friday.

Thoughts about day two and day three of the draft. 

By trading back with Green Bay, and then trading back with the New York Giants, Seattle now picks at 37, 92, 114, 118, 124, 132, 142, and 159. That’s plenty of picks to further fill this roster, and this draft is deep enough at defensive line that Seattle could find decent value into round four where they interestingly have four picks.

As mentioned above, Seattle still could go after a speed rushing end early at 37, but don’t be shocked if they ultimately go after a wide receiver. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if the opening of round two has a run at receiver, and with Seattle picking at 37, they could be right in the thick of that. They could also go defensive back, or an offensive linemen. I would say they could go defensive tackle early tomorrow, but Collier might have actually satisfied that position a bit as an inside rusher.

Regardless, there are some interesting players still on board that were thought to be potential first round picks. Here’s a quick list.

Jaylon Ferguson, Defensive End, Louisiana Tech.

Parris Campbell, Wide Receiver, Ohio State (Personal favorite)

DK Metcalf, Wide Receiver, Mississippi

Deebo Samuel, Wide Receiver, South Carolina

Juan Thornhill, Safety, Virginia

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Safety, Florida

Byron Murphy, Cornerback, Washington

Cody Ford, Guard, Oklahoma

If one of these guys is a Seattle Seahawk tomorrow, rejoice in that. These are all really exciting football players.

Go Hawks!

Jaylon Ferguson has pass rush traits that could take the sting out of the Frank Clark trade.

Well folks, we are officially one day away to the 2019 NFL Draft, and we all know well what that means. We got our final mock draft!

Yay!

So what do we know about these 2019 Seahawks right now?

Well, for one thing, and it’s the biggest and best-est thing, we know that Russell Wilson has just signed a blockbuster extension and will likely be a Seahawk for life. So, I think we can say that drafting a QB seems unlikely.

The other big, big, big situation with the team is that they just traded their top pass rusher, Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for the 29^th pick this year, a 2020 second round pick, and they flipped their third round pick. We will get more into that whole deal below. Clearly, this team will be targeting pass rush in this draft.

And the other potentially big situation for the team is the health concerns of Doug Baldwin, and potentially his retirement. Wide receiver could be a big need.

It is also worth noting that this 2019 NFL Draft is considered to be historically deep at defensive line, and a deep draft in general for wide receivers, tight ends, safeties, and offensive guards.

Oh, yeah, one final thing. The Seahawks only have five picks in the draft this year, and General Manager John Schneider loves to trade down to get more picks regardless of how many they have in any year. So, with only four this year, the Seattle Seahawks are, like, 99.999999 percent sure to be trading down to get more.

So, with all that hashed out, here we go. Folks, allow me to introduce to you our final 2019 Seattle Seahawks mock draft.

With the 21^st pick in the 2019 NFL Draft – TRADE!

The Seattle Seahawks trade pick 21 to the New England Patriots for picks 32, 97, 101 and 239. The Patriots jump ahead of the Ravens to select one of the premier tight ends to replace Gronk, both teams have needs there, and Seattle picks up two late third round picks, and a seventh rounder to give them eight pick total. That will do.

With the 29 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Trysten Hill, Defensive Tackle, UCF

What does Hill offer?

He’s an athletic defensive tackle with traits to be a constant disruptor, and was one of the most impressive defensive line performers at the combine. His highlight tape is fun to watch. Big men shouldn’t move like that. Put him next to Jarran Reed, and that’s a lot of size, quickness and power inside.

Why is he still available at 29?

He fell into the doghouse with the new coaching staff and was regulated to becoming a rotational player in 2018. Apparently he is opinionated but under Carroll, Seattle has never had a problem adding those sorts. Feels like a classic Seahawk pick.

With the 32^nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Jaylon Ferguson, Defensive End, Louisiana Tech

What does Ferguson offer?

He’s a long, lean, grown man QB sacking machine who led the nation in sacks. His highlights show an old school kind of bad-assed-ness to his game. He also plays the run well. He got better in college each year, which shows coachable traits, and like other Seattle edge rushers in the past, he displays good ability to convert speed to power.

Why is he at 32?

He played at a smaller school eating up small school competition, and his pro day performance was only so-so.

With the 92^nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Gary Jennings, Wide Receiver, West Virginia.

What does Jennings offer?

He is a possession receiver with good size and speed to stretch defenses and toughness to fight for contested balls.

Why is he still available at 92?

He’s perhaps a jack of all trades/master of none type, and needs to work on separating from defenders.

With the 97^nd pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks Select Drew Sample, Tight End, Washington

What does Sample offer?

He is a well rounded tight end with nice size, and athleticism that can block, and catch.

Why does he last until 97?

He could get stronger, and while he has decent traits as a receiver, he’s not as polished as some of the other players in this draft.

With the 101^th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Marquise Blair, Safety, Utah.

What does Blair offer?

He’s a hard-hitting free safety with great range in coverage, and plays the run with a linebacker mentality.

Why is he still available at 101?

As physical as he is, he has a slight frame that might scare some GMs, and because of his aggressive style he can be penalty prone.

With the 124^th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Maxx Crosby, Edge Rusher, Eastern Michigan

What does Crosby offer?

Pure speed off the edge to rush the quarterback. Pete Carroll covets speed off the edge, but Crosby also shows well against the run, displays a knack for causing fumbles, and plays with a edginess – all things that Carroll would appreciate.

Why is he at 124^th?

He has a long gangly frame 6-5 255 lbs, and the feeling is that he might need a year in an NFL weight room to reach his full potential.

With the 159^th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select BJ Autry, Guard, Jacksonville State

What does Autry offer?

He’s a massive human being at 6-3 and 337 lbs, and he’s nimble – traits that Seattle likes in their new blocking scheme.

Why is he still at 159th?

Autry is a small school talent with decent traits but is still raw.

With the 239th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Drew Lewis, Linebacker, Colorado.

What does Lewis offer?

Speed and athleticism at linebacker that the Seahawks covet. He also has the ability to play inside and outside linebacker, and a great special teams player. It was also observed during his pro day that the Seattle coaches were working him hard.

Why is he at 239?

His fundamentals still need work, and he is not exactly a punishing tackler. He could stand to get stronger. He’s a project with upside more than plug and play.

Thoughts about these picks.

Seattle attacks the depth of this draft at defensive line early, and grabs two players who have the talent to be cornerstone starters, and later they grab another player that might have starter potential.

With Trysten Hill they get rare athleticism at DT. Admittedly, I’m swinging for the fences projecting this one, but it feels like a classic Seattle first round pick in that most will not see coming, and it would surely be ripped as Hill is not widely regarded as first round talent. However, there is recent chatter that his stock is rising, and Pete Carroll covets special athletes. Also, Seattle could have the intel on Hill from Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin who both played with him at UFC. If they vouch for him, I think he could be Seattle’s first pick, as they might not want to risk losing him to a team that is picking after them.

With Jaylon Ferguson, Seattle probably drafts a plug and play player to make up for the loss of Frank Clark. They are reportedly high on him, and I suspect one of these two first round picks might end up being him. There are others in this draft class that might have more athleticism that him, but he has traits and production. It wouldn’t shock me if they few him more as a Michael Bennett type than a Frank Clark, or Cliff Avril player.

Maxx Crosby is an interesting player. He had great college production, but might need to redshirt 2019 to get stronger. It wouldn’t shock me if Seattle ends up with three defensive linemen out of this draft that eventually become starters. The draft is that deep.

Marquise Blair feels like a Seattle DB. They’ve been bringing in a lot to the VMAC for visits. I can see them drafting DB earlier, especially if the first pick is a pass rusher.

The selections of Greg Jennings and Drew Sample help fulfill the “Build Around Me Damn-it” clause in Russell Wilson’s mega contract. Seattle could go WR earlier, especially considering the Baldwin situation.

BJ Autry offers needed depth at offensive guard. Seattle has DJ Fluker returning and they signed former division rival Mike Iupati to a one-year deal, but neither player is likely a long-term fixture on the line. Seattle needs to continue adding there.

Drew Lewis has the speed at linebacker that Seattle demands, and an NFL bloodline. Seattle brought back KJ Wright and Mychal Kendricks, but at some point, they need to get younger with that group. Lewis could be an interesting developmental player.

Thoughts about the Frank Clark Trade.

It sucks whenever a team moves on from a great player, especially one that is just hitting his stride. However, Seattle probably feels that there is a pass rusher in this class that can come in and contribute right away. They might see a couple of them.

Seattle probably also feels that there is a young player on the roster that is ready to take a big step forward. Jacob Martin flashed decent outside rush as the season went on last year. DT Poona Ford also came on strong. However, my money is on Rasheem Green. In the preseason, Green looked like a star in the making. That didn’t translate into the regular season, but there was a feeling in scouting circles last year that had he stayed in school another season, he could have probably been a top twenty pick in this year’s class. I suspect Seattle might have a more defined plan for him going into this season, and that is part of the reason why they felt like they could move Clark.

Seattle might also feel like there is a free agent pass rusher or two out there on the market that they can sign after the draft. Ndamukong Suh, Corey Liuget, Ezekiel Ansah, and Nick Perry are all sitting out there waiting for a contract, and Seattle now has the cap space to afford one of these guys after dealing Clark.

When Seattle won the Super Bowl with that historic defense, they weren’t reliant on one dominant pass rusher. They had a collection of good ones with varied abilities. They could be looking to get back to that, and this would be the draft to do that with.

Bobby Wagner is about to get PAID. It feels pretty clear moving forward that the faces of the franchise are Wilson and Wagner, and that is appropriate. They came into the league together, they are both unique athletes, and they both seem to be getting better each year. Trading Clark makes is easier to fit Wagner under the cap, and also gives Seattle a better chance to afford extending defensive tackle Jarran Reed.