I am so seething with frustration, sarcasm, and disgust right now, I'm just going to post the facts and bite my tongue.The Seahawks signed LB Kevin Bentley, formerly of the Browns, to one-year, $650,000 deal that includes a $150,000 signing bonus.
He started during most of 2003 in Cleveland without distinction. Bentley, 24, a fourth-round draft choice in 2002, was scheduled to be a restricted free agent, but the Browns failed to tender him an offer.
Bentley started 14 games at strongside linebacker for the Browns in 2003, and was third on the team with 113 tackles. Last year, he was limited to three starts and finished with 62 tackles.
A Cleveland Browns Blogger's take on Bentley
2004 scouting report on Bentley
Bentley has outstanding quickness, good overall speed, he is a sideline to sideline backer that can make a lot of plays on the perimeter. At times you like his angles to the ball, he plays with good efficiency, and he always seems to be around the football making plays. He has good range, can get to the perimeter, he can break down in space, he can be a solid open field tackler, but he is not an overly tough guy. He is a little bit of a soft finesse type player, probably figures better as a nickel linebacker that can be used in coverage situations and in space, and not have to mix it up inside.
From Scout.com:
Kevin Bentley RFA Browns – In his second season (2003), Bentley was essentially handed a starting job on the strong side. His play didn’t stand out in any single area and came off of the bench the following season (Chaun Thompson started over him). Bentley, when he’s at his best, has good pursuit to the ball but he’s not a big hitter and lacks good striking ability. He has decent cover skills which makes him a decent nickel linebacker.
Also a discouraging quote from the PI:
One AFC scout who attended the Huskies Pro Day at the University of Washington yesterday offered his analysis of Bentley: "He's not a true thumper, but that's not the way Ray (Rhodes, Seahawks defensive coordinator) wants his linebackers to play. This kid impresses me with his quickness and speed. He makes a lot of plays on the perimeter and always seems to be around the ball. He can be a starter for the Seahawks."
A scrub who can't hit or tackle from the Browns is a possible starter for us. Great. He should fit right in.
So far, he's our biggest defensive signing of the off season.
OK, I need to stop there. My rage is knocking at the door and I don't want to let him in. He's a jerk.
hey I can post now!!!
ReplyDeleteabout time one of you posted this...I was trying to a few hours ago...:P
this signing is decent because 'Seattle is using him for depth...and he will most likely be a reserve'...he didnt cost way too much, and he might help on special teams
now, this is assuming we sign a LB like I dunno, ugh...EDGERTON HARTWELL??!?!?!?!?...if we get stuck with him...we're better off with DD Lewis or Tracy White, Niko, and Chad Brown
you want to know whats worst about his 'scouting report'? Cleveland could of tendered him as a restricted free agent, and didn't...
this team is confusing me...not a good night to see this on top of another Sonics loss (im panicking about them now)
ADP, Same ol' Sonics. That's why I don't do basketball and baseball, way too many games to get excited about a team in the first months of the season.
ReplyDeleteAnd on Bentley, I'm wit ya 100% he's just going to be a depth player, and Lewis and Brown will probably be the starters at OLB.
And I'm afraid the Hartwell dream is over, I'm thinking that's all it ever was. I could be wrong, but I don't see tah Hawks spending the money for him.
I still think a trade for a MLB for Alexander is our best bet.
There're enough quality DEs in the Draft to get our replacement for Chike there, that leaves us with a Corner and perhaps a HB and O-Lineman to get(also available in the draft).
So that leaves us short a MLB, and Alexander's our best bet at getting a stud.
And don't forget, Ruskell's said that there's still more players coming available in june.
Blue you're just going to have to be patient. you're acting like the season's starting next week. :-)
SBL, well said, you'll have to excuse Blue, he gets a liitle keyed up sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAnd ADP is trying to talk Blue off the ledge, but he's got one foot out there himself.
Come on guys, just climb back in the window and we'll talk about it. :)
Eveyone take a deep breath and relax. Unfortunately, we're so starved for Seahawks news that we are forced to over analyze this signing, because it's all we got!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'd hardly say it "sucks", since he only signed for the league minimum, with a paltry $125,000 signing bonus. (did I just use the word "paltry" and a figure over $100,000 in the same sentence??!!)
Also remember we have a new Special Teams coach, who maybe is looking for someone with speed and size.
Finally, since the Patriots are everyone's darlings, look what they've done with a bunch of fast, small, no-name (at the time) LBs who had character and bought into a team concept.
Hartwell may be good, but playing next to Ray Lewis makes anyone better, and he's definitely over-valued in the marketplace.
Ruskell's got an eye for talent, if you can believe what you read, especially on defense. Let's let him work his magic before passing judgement.
um...i said in my post that this is good for depth...i dont think this signing is bad unless he is stuck being a starter (magically, somehow)
ReplyDeleteim not really giving up on anything, the Sonics, Mariners, and Seahawks are stressing me out right now...typical Seattle teams...
The thing that some of you guys are failing to realize, is that this formula of signing innexpensive mediocre players has been used before by the Seattle Mariners, and it resulted in a horrible season. Bluefoot is simply taking the next logical step with this signing. We have seen it before. We have seen all of this before, the idecision, the hesitation, the apparent utter lack of a plan. This is all old news to us, and we had hoped that this team was finally coming out of it.
ReplyDeleteI am not jumping off the bridge yet, but I can certainly understand why BLuefoot is angry. In the past, a signing like this means, there will be no more signings to address the LBer issue. In the past, the FO has sold us fans this type of move as THE CURE to the LB problems. Seeing as how slow the FO has been to get anything done,and how hesitant they seem to be to get anything done, can anyone really blame BLuefoot for saying "crap, I've seen this before!" I can't!
Hey, thanks you guys for talking me off the ledge. It's a long way down. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, he adds depth. But we don't need depth. We have a whole slew of LB's with that kind of mediocrity. Adding another doesn't make us much better. We need quality STARTERS.
Also, if we're adding role players, at least these role players should have a tough disposition. They may not be starters, but they do affect the general personality of their team, or at least how they are perceived. If this guy tried out in Pittsburgh, he would be laughed off the field. When we are not perceived as tough in the box, why would we add a player like this to confirm it?.
About him being a special teams addition -- you've got to be kidding. To be an effective ST player, you need a certain mentality, and he doesn't have it.
Nothing disgusts me more than an NFL linebacker that is afraid to hit. He's in the wrong position.
ECH, Monkey and Blue, You don't get it do you.
ReplyDelete1) He's not a replacement for Simmons, he's backup in case of injuries, and as mentioned, a probable STer
2)Wher do you get the mediocre LB analysis? How can you say that about Lewis who we diodn't see play last season, and White who looked great in the games he did start in, other than the usual rokie mistakes.
3)Monkey, you said we've "seen it all before", yes and you were WRONG about the 'apparent' indecision, hesitation and lack of a plan.(remember the FO fiasco?)
4)Bentley is NOT being sold as a 'cure' for anything.
Blue you are acting(again) like the season's starting next week, I mean my God, we haven't even gotten to the draft yet!
Quoting Ruskell's latest interview on Seahawks.com, when asked about adding defensive players:
ReplyDelete"We want to make the decision based on the fact that we have a good fit. And that's what we're looking for: the right fit for our scheme for our team. And until we find that right fit that's perfect we probably won't make a move."
So athletic, fast linebackers like Bentley that are afraid to hit are a good fit, a right fit that's perfect, in our system.
It's been awhile since I've said this, but I NEED A BEER.
Blue I have to ask, who are ya going to listen to analysts from a magazine or a sports channel, or the guys on the team that's looking at signing the player, remember we have guys in here now that are considered some of the best in their particular fields.
ReplyDeleteI trust Ray, Mike and Tim more than some guy from scout.com that has no clue what the Hawks want or need from a guy with his price tag.
And if the blogger from the Browns site is like several at the Hawks boards, i don't put much stock in his evaluation, after all who knows what working in Ray's 'use your' talents and strengths' type of ball will do for Bentley's stats and performance.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was the way they used him more than the way he played.
Vinny, I just can't resist since you called me out, "Monkey, you said we've "seen it all before", yes and you were WRONG about the 'apparent' indecision, hesitation and lack of a plan.(remember the FO fiasco?)"
ReplyDeleteUmmm. How was I wrong? So far the Mighty FO has signed one non hitting LB and has let go of players or failed to resign players that we needed. So how was I wrong again? No Vinny, as of yet the FO has been and still is a fiasco, (though those weren't my words and that wasn't what I was talking about, but you never seem to understand what it is that I am saying).
"Blue I have to ask, who are ya going to listen to analysts from a magazine or a sports channel, or the guys on the team that's looking at signing the player,"
Although this was addressed to Blue, I would love to take a crack at it. First a proffesional scout was the person who was quoted, not some nobody from the sports channels or whatever, so you have just used another straw man fallacy in your argument. Second, who would I trust more, Holmgren and Rhodes etc... who have been responsible for bringing us such great talent as Anthony Simmons? Or better yet, Shaun Alexander,the best draft pick they have ever taken by far, whom you seem to hate so much? Given that the scout is completely neutral, and is payed to assess talent (that's all) I would definitely trust him first. However, I don't just have to rely on one scouts opinion, that opinion is shared by everyone throughout the league VInny. I'd bet dollars to donuts that your outdated Bible says the same thing.
"I trust Ray, Mike and Tim more than some guy from scout.com that has no clue what the Hawks want or need from a guy with his price tag."
Why? What has Ray, Mike and Tim done that are so great? To use your own (unfair) argument which you have couched against Alexander, where are the rings? See how this works Vinny? When you critisize a player for not getting us a ring (which BTW is a stupid argument) I will critisize the FO for not doing any DAMN THING!
You have blind faith and nothing more to rely on, because you can't go back and point to the victories or the playoff wins or whatever. Last year we finished one win better than we did under Dennis Erickson, (and had that team not gotten screwed by phantom call they would have had the same record). What reason has the FO given you for the trust VInny? And why the hell should you expect us to blindly share your trust? You can't give us any reason other than you do. But the record (as usual) does not lend credence to you arguments, in fact it shows otherwise, because after six years under Holmgren, this team is no better than it was before he got here. SO in other words Holmgren (as yet, and I hope that changes this season) has done nothing. So please, get off your high horse Vinny, you, as an ex Packer fan have really not got the history with this team that we have. Your love for what Holmgren did for your beloved Packers does not mean anything here in Seattle. That was then, this is now, and so far he has not earned my blind devotion.
If three different independent professional talent evaluators say the same basic thing, that he's "soft", "not a hitter" "not overly tough", "not a thumper", it's a pretty sure thing.
ReplyDeleteTo keep it simple Vinny, he's your opinion of Shaun Alexander of linebackers.
No, he's not that good. HE DIDN'T EVEB GET A RFA TENDER FROM THE 4-12 CLEVELAND BROWNS, FOR GOD'S SAKE.
Maybe he was hired to wash Ruskell's car or something.
He's afreakin backup, or maybe, just maybe they signed him for the STs. But as far as the FO it's, what, two weeks into Free Agency, and you guys have decided that the FO is screwing up.(by the way as we speak Womack has now been secured, and several other players are coming in next week, not to mention that Ruskell has said that a lot of openins will probably be filled in the Draft and after the June first final cuts.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for Ray and Mike, you're right they didn't BUY you a Super Bowl. They would rather put together a team that will get us a couple of them, Mike's not about one and done, he wants a legacy, and I have the patience to let him build one!
Another thing, Ray is trying to 'build' a defense, remember he inherited a mediocre defense. The defense he builds will have the type of history that the Eagles defense has had. Remember he built that one as well, the one that, at it's peak, was the best in the NFL.
So I think you guys are gonna be eating a lot of crow in a few months, not to mention the following few seasons.
Monkey, what are ya gonna say after they fill the rest of the holes and leave us cap room for next season while they're at it?
Are ya gonna come out here with as much fire in yer belly to tell me I was right? Or will you just sit back there and say nothing? Just curious.
'Cause I will be right about the FO taking care of business, they just aren't doing it fast enough to take you guys happy.
Aren't ya glad ya chimed in to answer all the questions I had?
by my calculations we have 'OVER' twelve weeks to get things done. That's Twelve WEEKS, not twelve days or TWO weeks.
ReplyDeleteMonkey, you surprised me the most, I thought you were coming around.
Vinny,
ReplyDelete1. He's afreakin backup, or maybe, just maybe they signed him for the STs.
ST players have to be reckless and tough. Bentley is not. That was said above. If that is what they are intending, it is a questionable move.
2. But as far as the FO it's, what, two weeks into Free Agency, and you guys have decided that the FO is screwing up.
We are two weeks into free agency, and most of the veteran defenders, Hartwell being the exception, are snatched up. You have said yourself that we need veteran players, not more rookies. The window is closing on restructuring with veteran players. Questioning the decisions of the FO is not out of line. I have not decided they are screwing up, however. Those are your words.
3. Ray is trying to 'build' a defense
Where did you hear that?
4. he inherited a mediocre defense
His defense got worse.
5. what are ya gonna say after they fill the rest of the holes and leave us cap room for next season while they're at it?
"Good job. A+++"
6. Blue you are acting(again) like the season's starting next week, I mean my God, we haven't even gotten to the draft yet!
See #2. The time to add GOOD veterans is just about over. There will be a couple in June, (like Turley) but it will be slim pickin'. The odds are getting more and more against us to fill those holes as time passes. If you can't see that, there is little to no purpose arguing with you about it. It will become another denied fact like the blocks Shaun Alexander set that you forgot about.
Who is going to be left at the end of twelve weeks? That's about pointless.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Vinny, if you think White played "great", you really are a victim of lowered expectactions and loser conditioning. You don't know what a great linebacker is.
ReplyDeleteAnd Lewis has never showed us anything above NFL average caliber, so he meets the definintion of "mediocre".
Here we go....
ReplyDelete1)I'll wait and see what he's got,instead of listening to some guys at Scout.com
2)We have, as you even mentioned, another shot after June first, and how in the hell do you know what the pickin's will be, are ya psycic? The guys that have been snatched up we either had no chance to interview or we let go for reasons unknown to us, but i'm thinkin' it's because they either wanted too much money or they were not good fits for the team.
3)I didn't HEAR it anywhere, it's a known fact that he builds defenses, it's what he's done his entire career, do some research.
4)His got worse because a) his players had to learn his scheme b) he lost the majority of his pass rushers for the entire seasons, not to mention having a bunch of first second and third year players as his starters in the secondary.
5)*******
6)Seems to me that things are going well,a nd just because things aren't going according to your' script doesn't mean the end of teh world, Womack's back, we have several players coming in this week, and we have another shot in June. Not to mention the Draft if needed, I said no rookies, but Im pretty sure the comment was refereing to MLB and DBs.
Anyway, we'll see who was right in a few weks and then we can compare noteas and one of us will owe the other an apology.
Seemed to me White played well for a guy that was a #5 or #6 LB going into last season, lets see how he does competing for Simmons' spot.
ReplyDeleteAnd DD? What games were you watching, seems to me he played in three at the beginning of the season (pre-season) before he got hurt, so what are you basing your' critique on? Wasn't he the #3 OLB going into the season?
I think you're WAY off base on the comments about both these players.
Vinny, the quality FA defenders, with the exception of a couple, have ALREADY been picked clean. There are only so many cherries on the tree. Once it's been picked clean, you have to wait until next year.
ReplyDeleteAnd noone can accurately predict who exactly will appear in free agency in June. But what is true in principle is that there are always a great deal less available then than on March 2.
You'd have to be intellectually dishonest to think that the QUALITY players we need will magically appear in the second free agency period.
And don't worry Vinny, no apologies will be necessary. I did nothing to you, and you did nothing to me. A difference in opinion is not a sin.
Blue I have to ask this, sorry........
ReplyDeleteYou're telling me that there aren't any teams out there that are waiting to release a quality player until after they see who they pick up in FA and who they pick up in the draft?
In my opinion there are several guys in the draft that could make some quality Vets expendable come June, maybe that's just me.