Tuesday, February 07, 2006

"Free At Last, Free At Last...

...thank God Almighty I'm Free At Last!"
Martin Luther King, Jr. in his I Have a Dream speach


I was going to use "I Have A Dream" for the title of this piece, but couldn't after the nightmare of that Stupor Bowl experience.

But this post isn't to gripe about the officials, or complain about the drops and missed FGs, no this post is to turn the page and to start looking forward.

Below is an alphabetical list of Seattle Seahawk free agents taken from Scout.com, showing their position, name, status and number of years in the league:




RB Shaun Alexander UFA 6
DE Rodney Bailey UFA 5
OLB Kevin Bentley UFA 4
DT Rocky Bernard UFA 4
TE Ryan Hannam UFA 4
S John Howell UFA 5
OT Wayne Hunter RFA 3
OG Steve Hutchinson UFA 5
WR Joe Jurevicius UFA 8
S Marquand Manuel UFA 4
RB Maurice Morris UFA 4
P Tom Rouen UFA 14
FB Mack Strong UFA 12
DE Joe Tafoya UFA 4
QB Seneca Wallace UFA 3
WR NR Peter Warrick UFA 6
CB NR Jimmy Williams UFA 5


Obviously, we'd like to keep them all, well maybe not Rouen and Williams, but we're all going to have our own opinion of who to keep and why. That's what the comment section is for.

Let's go boys. Time to put last Sunday behind us and start thinking about the 2006 version of the Seahawks, that oh by the way, are a 5-1 favorite of returning to the Super Bowl, ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

30 comments:

  1. Here's my take, with each group in order of priority:

    MUST SIGN:
    OG Steve Hutchinson UFA 5
    RB Shaun Alexander UFA 6
    TE Ryan Hannam UFA 4
    S Marquand Manuel UFA 4
    QB Seneca Wallace UFA 3
    WR Joe Jurevicius UFA 8
    DE Joe Tafoya UFA 4 (how do you not sign God?)

    SIGN FOR THE RIGHT PRICE:
    DT Rocky Bernard UFA 4
    FB Mack Strong UFA 12
    RB Maurice Morris UFA 4
    WR Peter Warrick UFA 6
    DE Rodney Bailey UFA 5
    OLB Kevin Bentley UFA 4
    S John Howell UFA 5

    HAVE A NICE LIFE:
    OT Wayne Hunter RFA 3
    P Tom Rouen UFA 14
    CB Jimmy Williams UFA 5
     

    Posted by alba

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you got it right, alba. If the Hawks sign SA and Hutch, there's no way they'll be able to fit Rocky into the cap as well.

    Vicius needs to stay because he's my favorite white wide receiver since Largent (and more clutch than McCaffrey and even Proehl).

    I'd like to see Seneca's role expanded to include more Randle El-esque plays (where was he in the SB?).

    And Mack should never wear the uniform of another NFL team.

    What about draft prospects? What's the priority: D-line (assuming Bernard leaves) or secondary? I'm only asking because it doesn't seem wise to take a punter with the 31st pick.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really want Alexander to come back and earlier in the season i whought he would come back but after the super bowl i don't think Shaun is coming back. I want him back dearly but I truly think he will walk but thats just my opinion.

    Hutch is my first priority, despite what people might say offense starts with the O-Line and not the QB. After the season Jurevicous had he's a hot commodity but i still think we need to keep him. I heard some Rams sayin that they want him so we better keep him.

    I want Bernard back but people will offer him more than we can so its his choice does he want the money or the ring. We are better set for the long term than anyother team in the NFC in my opinion.

    KEEP MARQUAND MANUEL. That boy can play but other might be offering him a starting position while he would probably be our back up. He would create great depth.

    I don't know what alba is talkin about. I wanna keep Rouen, the guy can boom a kick he just needs to stop kickin it into the endzone.

    Mack Strong is not a sign for the right price guy. Don't let him walk he is our Brett Favre. Make sure he retires a Seahawk.

    I wanna see Warrick return for a good price he has good hands can return punts very well. He was feeling the pains of injury this year but the guy has potential.

    For the Draft: Get us a tight end thats not soft. I don't wanna sound like Joey Porter but Jeremy Stevens is soft. Make him step up or sit down cause he irritated the hell out of me on Sunday.

    D-Line and DB's are our chief concerns. If Alexander walks get a RB.

    Anyways in Ruskell we trust.
     

    Posted by meezy

    ReplyDelete
  4. We'll have to see what kind of free agent magic Mr. Ruskell works again this year, as we may get help on the D-Line or D-backfield that way. If not, a shut-down corner or edge pass-rusher would be nice.

    I'd like to see us get a veteran backup-QB through free agency. Maybe Jeff Garcia might be ready to take a secondary role after getting his head handed to him in Detroit. Other than that, there's no real viable QB options , other than may Jamie Martin (St. Louis) or Ken Dorsey (SF), but he's an RFA and not worth a draft choice.

    With a good option at backup, we can work Seneca into the offense more, and still list Greene as the 3rd string emergency QB to save a roster spot.

    Although, if AVIS is going to assume more of a WR role, then we may have to bid farewell to our old friends Urban and/or Collarbone.

    Second round of the draft we should look at another O-lineman, since Gray and Tobeck are old, and Pork Chop has proven to be brittle. Can hurt to bring another rookie along slowly, ala Spencer, to work them into the League's most dominant O-Line. 

    Posted by alba

    ReplyDelete
  5. Meeze - I love Mack as much as the next Seahawks fan, but if you think logically instead of emotionally, we don't need to overpay for a 38 year old full back, especially with what we've seen out of young Weaver.

    That being said, I don't see any way we don't resign Mack, as I'm sure he'll sign for a reasonable price, and the Seahawks will take care of him.

    Rouen sure can punt the crap out of the ball, but as we saw with the rookie Kluwe, you don't need a high priced 14 year vet to get the job done. If were going to sign the guys in the first two sections, we're going to have to cut some salary somewhere, and I think this is a place where we can afford to be cheap. (btw, does ANYONE know how to coffin corner a punt anymore?)

    Don't read too much into anything hear from Shaun in the next few weeks, and don't let it paint your opinion of him. With Free Agency less than a month away, he and his agent will be trying to negotiate and get leverage through the press, so there will be a lot of sideway quotes that can be interpreted several ways. In the end, I believe he'll stay in Seattle, but as you pointed out, IN RUSKELL WE TRUST!

    (anyone hear anything more on the Reinfeldt situation?) 

    Posted by alba

    ReplyDelete
  6. i agree on hutch and shaun.i think rocky should be one of our priorities since he had a pretty good season. also, in sb when he went down, our defense became a bit more porous. i would like to see more randeleque plays drawn for seneca also. he is too good a talent to let just walk away. however, i am sure he wants to play more also which means we will have to make a playing commitment to him because i am sure someone else will.we need a backup qb but gacrcia is not the guy. i do not want him running our offense should hass go down. seems a bit arrogant and rushed back a bit too quick from his injury. we could get kitna for a good price and since the bengals just signed a free agent qb today, doug johnson, it is possible he will be available. 

    Posted by rev seahawk

    ReplyDelete
  7. The biggest thing about Rocky is that he will demand a decent amount of money on the free market. I'm going to list mine by players that I think they must sign:

    Hutch
    Shaun
    Manuel

    Should be able to sign:

    Mack
    Mo-Mo
    Vicious
    Seneca
    Hannam

    Probably won't be able to sign for the money, or aren't worth the money they'll command:

    Rocky

    And the rest are worth it only if they're low priced or near last priority.

     

    Posted by PaulieP

    ReplyDelete
  8. Manual probably earned himself a starting job elsewhere...unfortunately, who knows

    No way Strong leaves...

    Really, the only ones I wanted pushed aside are Williams (depending on PDub), Hunter, and maybe Rouen

    ReplyDelete
  9. i agree with alba's original must sign list except for mack strong...who is a must sign in my eyes

    anyways i was bored the other day doing some preliminary research on the draft, and i found a couple of prospects that i like based on these scouting reports...

    Matt Bernstein, FB, Wisconsin 
    - a Mack Strong type fullback, possible understudy for a year or two?

    Charles Spencer, OG, Pitt
    Davin Joseph, OG, Oklahoma
    - a couple of guards to understudy for Gray as he gets older...

    Daryn Colledge, OT, Boise State
    Andrew Whitworth, OT, LSU
    - a couple of tackles who might be a good fit for the hawks (although mostly as depth guys for now with the dominant Big Walt and the very impressive Sean Locklear)

    just wanted to interject some draft stuff into the offseason talk, maybe get some people talking about some players that are possible day 1 picks...only 80 days til draft day! 

    Posted by draftnik

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's late and I'm tired so I'll just throw in a piece of my slowly degrading mind......

    Alexander will probably not be here, buit Seattle is now going to be known as a mecca for HBs.....Edge perhaps? (he can catch) But after watching Mo in the Shaunless game, I more convinced than ever that this offense can function with a smart, versatile back.

    Hutch is obviously a no-brainer, don't franchise him....sign him.

    Rocky? Franchise him, he'll be the hardest to keep ($ wise)

    JJ? Sign him, Capt Clutch needs to retire in Seattle Blue.

    Mack for a one year contract simply because no matter how talented a runner Weaver is, he still isn't half the blocker Mack is.

    And finally (for now) Rouen, I'm convinced his normal game is more like the Panthers performance than the one in the Super Bowl. I'm not sure what happened in the big game, but he was money in the anthers game.

    I'll ghet back to ya later on the rest of the list.

    Great idea, nice distraction from the pain in my soul, and the cold air on my closly clipped noggin'.

    Catch you guys on the flip side.

    GO HAWKS!!!!!!!! 

    Posted by vinny

    ReplyDelete
  11. should we not sign Shaun...we're gonna have a ton of cap to work with...

    Randel El, anyone? (not my choice, just an example...)


    Draftnik - i see you go to the same site I do for draft information...great place, too...and only gets better when the draft approaches 

    Posted by adp

    ReplyDelete
  12. Must sign
    OG Steve Hutchinson UFA 5
    TE Ryan Hannam UFA 4
    S Marquand Manuel UFA 4
    QB Seneca Wallace UFA 3
    WR Joe Jurevicius UFA 8
    Sign for the right price
    RB Shaun Alexander UFA 6
    DT Rocky Bernard UFA 4
    FB Mack Strong UFA 12
    WR Peter Warrick UFA 6
    DE Rodney Bailey UFA 5
    S John Howell UFA 5
    Have a nice life
    OLB Kevin Bentley UFA 4
    OT Wayne Hunter RFA 3
    P Tom Rouen UFA 14
    CB Jimmy Williams UFA 5
    RB Maurice Morris UFA 4

    Hutch is the obvious key. Alexander is on e of the greats, but if he wants too much, goodbye. He is a lousy blocker and pass catcher, there can be no denying that, (much as I love the guy), so I think that the offense as a whole can do as well with the "right kind" of RB, ie. one who can catch screens and block, as well as get the tough yards.
    Although he won't be available, a Lindell White type of RB would be perfect, I alos like the kid from Wisconsin, I forget his name right this second.
    Rocky is a great third down pass rusher, and has gotten much better at run stopping, for the right price he would be great, but he can be replaced.
    Morris, IMHO sucks, he is NOT big enough to be a decent blocker, he does NOT break tackles well at all, he does NOT have good hands, and he does NOT run that well at all. Not sure why ANYONE likes him, he will never amount to anything but a career backup in the NFL.

    Personally, I would like to see what kind of RB falls to the Hawks, if there is a decent one in the draft, one that can do what is needed in the west coast offense, then I say take him, let Alex who can't block or catch, walk or stay as the money issue dictates, and let Morris who can't run, block or catch, go away.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Brian Calhoun, you mean monkey? 

    Posted by adp

    ReplyDelete
  14. On M, yes he hasn't been outstanding at recieving, but what reciever is good when they get five passes thrown to them in an entire season?

    And as far as breaking tackles.....if you watch Alexander behind our line it's not about breaking tackles it's about hitting the holes made by the blockers. And personally I think he's every bit as good at breaking tackles as Shaun. He looked great in the game Alexander came out in.

    and he hits the hole "quicker" than Shaun. 

    Posted by vin

    ReplyDelete
  15. As a RFA, Hunter will probably be back for another season on the injured list, only cuz nobody else will want him, and it won't cost much to keep him.

    Forget about Edge. If we're not gonna pay Shaun, it would be a slap in the face to pay Edge, just cuz he's a year younger. If Shaun walks, we'll get a few second tier FA RBs, like we did with WRs this season, maybe Chester Taylor or Anthony Thomas. Then maybe one in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft.

     

    Posted by alba

    ReplyDelete
  16. Just to further the sentiment, I think the big three are alexander, hutch and JJ. I think Rocky will command a ton of money on the free agent market, DT's that record 8.5 sacks in a season are very prized commoditites. That being said I think his 8.5 sacks are more of a product of the D-line rotation and less of him being a sack monster. Some of the other guys are worth keeping around (Seneca most notably), but most of them are replacable so its not a huge deal if some of them leave...if all of them leave than of course we have problems, but I don't see that happening.

    As for the draft, I feel the biggest concern is DB's. I think without a doubt thats what the first rounder should be on, a big fast physical beast of a man that will eat up receivers for breakfast. Trufant is great, Dyson is a little scary because of how injured he got last year, although its atypical from his career, and herndon made a big play in the SB, but he gives WR's too big of a cuishon and doesn't play tight enough. I ideally see the Hawks with Trufant and another guy starting, Dyson #3, and Herndon #4.

    Other possible draft choices I see the hawks making in rounds 2 and 3 are DL, OL and WR in about that order. I don't think they need a deep threat as much as people are saying they do. 

    Posted by gumbostu

    ReplyDelete
  17. man...I wouldnt mind this Claude Wroten guy 

    sounds like a Ruskell guy...we might draft ANY position, knowing the Seahawks style of drafting 'best available'...

    ...long as we dont get a first round punter... 

    Posted by adp

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yup, defintely let the future hall of fame running back walk.
    Makes sense to me. Mo Morris is definitely the future of the Seahawks.
    As for Wisconsin running backs I spell one word. D A Y N E.
    I cant understand some of you people. SA carries you to the super bowl and you cant wait to get rid of him. Mornic if you ask me.
    If Ruskell moves to SF as is roumored it wouldn't surprise me if he signs Alexander to the city on the bay. Stupid.
    I reiterate
    Stupid
    Why not appreciate the special talent that you have and try and keep it there.
    nope. he cant block and Mo hits the hole quicker.
    Stupid. You deserve what you get (6-10) when hes gone
     

    Posted by maomatt

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'd put Hutch as the #1 priority, SA as #2. A lot of the other guys deserve to stay (JJ, Mack Strong, Bernard, Manuel), but are not as important. I'd hate to loose any of them, but it won't be too difficult to overcome the loss of one or two of them.

    I think Wallace is being wasted. He's too good of a player to sit on the bench year after year. I love having him as a backup QB, but after seeing that amazing catch against the Panthers, I'd like to see him play more. Of course, that means risking the backup QB to injury, and clearly Greene isn't ready for prime time. I'd love to keep him AND let him play more.

    Hanam is a great blocking TE, but not irreplaceable.

    Jimmy "Teflon" Williams might do better with the Rams.

    The rest, I'm pretty indifferent about. If the money is right, then keep them, unless someone better comes up in the draft or free agency.  

    Posted by highwatermark

    ReplyDelete
  20. Maomatt, if you knew how many HUGE blowups there have been here regarding the whole SA discussion, usually involving me defending him as if it we my own flesh and blood.
    Trust me, there is no bigger an Alexander apologist, but I can recognize his limitations. And combined with his age, and the amount of money he is likely to command, he MIGHT not be worth it. It MIGHT be better to go with a guy who can catch and block, and who, behind this line, would be awesome.
    Trust me on this, SA would NOT do as well in say Minnesota, as he has here, and Warrick Dunn, would have HUGE seasons here, absolutely HUGE, because of the line, the QB and the style of offense we run.
    Dunn is a west coast type guy, ALexander really isn't, that's all I'm saying.
    Which is why I said FOR THE RIGHT MONEY bring him back, if he wants too much he can go.
    As for Morris, LOL ya he did really great when SA went down, LMAO. I would use that game as proof that he's worthless, he gained very few yards, got stopped almost immediately after the first hit, every time, and the defense wasn't even keying on him, they were playing back trying to stop the pass. He should have torn that D up the way they were focusing on pass. Morris is a MUCH lesser RB than SA and is NO better at recieving or blocking, so what's the point? He sucks, in training camp Weeks looked FAR better than Morris.
    One last thing, to compare Ron Dayne, to any current Wisconsin player is unfair. Ron Dayne ran behind one of college footballs best OLines, this current Wisc. line is not nearly as good as that one was.
    But if you don't like Wisconsin players, how about the STUD form Minnesota? He will be a terrific player I'd bet, I'd take him in a heartbeat. Just saying there are alternatives, to sticking all of our cap money into a RB who can't catch or block and is pushing 30.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I know this, no matter what Ruskell decides, I for one, will rest assured that it was the right thing to do.
    BUT WE MUST AT ALL COSTS KEEP HUTCH!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I sure wish we could know who would be available with the Hawks 1st rounder. If Maroney, who is the Minnesota RB monkey just referred to, were there I would say let Shaun walk. I don't know how many of you watched many WSU games this year, but Harrison could be a really good NFL RB (I worry only about his size at 5-10, 200). I've said it many times before (though I'm not sure I've actually gotten anyone to believe me), RB's in the NFL aren't worth what they're paid. The type of money I expect him to command is too much to tie up in a RB when there are so many that are "good enough". That money, IMO, could be better spent elsewhere, especially now that the leader of the ship is no longer Whitsitt.

    On Hutch, I think it is imperative that they sign him to a long-term deal. They're obviously going to keep him, but if they franchise him, they have to pay the average of the top five OL (conveniently, they're all high priced LT's). I wish they only had to pay the average of the top 5 OG salaries, but unfortunately, that's not the case, which is why I strongly advocate signing him to a long-term deal.

    The Manuel situation should be dictated by other teams' interest as well as the health of Hamlin. I'd love to have Manuel around as he showed this year that he is more than capable of playing the position. However, if there is significant interest and Hamlin will be back, it seems foolish to spend a significant sum on a backup safety. If Hamlin is out next year...

    I agree with most on here regarding Rocky. He'd be great to keep around, but will likely be too expensive given their depth at the position (Tubbs and Darby would do fine as starters, Terrill et al adding depth).

    JJ is a keeper unless he gets a great offer elsewhere. Morris would be a good backup for the right price and probably nothing more. If they want Strong, I have a suspicion they'll be able to get that done. I have seen it discussed in this thread that there would be a significant dropoff in blocking if Weaver were to take over. I'm not so sure the dropoff would be that great. Remember, Weaver was a TE in college and is well accustomed to blocking. Strong is one of the best, though, so I would expect some dropoff in blocking, I just think it might not be that large.

    Wallace should be kept unless he gets a great offer elsewhere, which is unlikely.

    As I see it, that's it. Everyone else is expendable. 

    Posted by mfan

    ReplyDelete
  23. maomatt,

    Ordinarily, I wouldn't be inclined to dignify your post with a response, as I could barely make sense of your broken syntax, poor spelling, and apparent ignorance of the apostrophe (it's between "Enter" and the semicolon, for future reference).

    But it's the content, not the style, of your remarks that I find problematic. Basically, you showed just about every possible sign of a half-assed fan. For example, it's Reinfeldt, not Ruskell, towards whom the 49ers have shown interest. As well, you obviously have little understanding of the salary cap, NFL contract trends, and the importance of having a top-shelf offensive line versus a top-shelf running back.

    Shaun Alexander is a rare and special talent, and you won't find anyone at 12 Seahawks Street that believes he's overrated. But it would be more sentimental than shrewd for the 'Hawks to pay him $8 million a year over the course of five years when - judging by trends - he may only have two seasons of All-Pro running left.

    I could go on - I very much want to drive truckfuls of knowledge through the holes in your logic - but I've already wasted enough time on you.

    p.s. When you spell "moronic" wrong, it tends to kill your credilbility as a judge of intelligence. 

    Posted by Uff

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yes, I want all players signed and run for great 2006-2007
    season.
    Go Hawks.

    Asian Hawks 

    Posted by Asian hawks

    ReplyDelete
  25. im with everyone else...Hutch has to stay, and I honestly think despite a huge cap hit, he would be franchised before they let him go...

    i realize some out there say Hutch has a great benefit playing next to Walt---and its true---but NOONE says that is why hes real good...Hutch is great on his own, no doubt about it...

    i cant wait for the draft...but until then, i cant wait to my boy comes back home from new mexico to stay with me for a week, in about 8 days...

    ...heres hoping the Sonics tank it so they can get Paul Davis (who might turn into a Collison clone...erm)...im a Mich St. fan (along with Kansas), and although they look identical...Davis is slightly better (sorry im way off subject...just trying to keep my mind off the screwjob) 

    Posted by adp

    ReplyDelete
  26. We agree with Asian Hawks. When we trot out on the field in August, all of our players will be signed. That's the kind of fan-friendly, budget-conscious move you have come to expect from us, so that's what we'll do. Ain't nobody gonna tell us otherwise!

    Oh sure, there might be some lazy-ass teams who won't bother signing their players, figuring, "hey, they're football players--what are they going to do if we don't pay them, get a real  job? LOL! They're ours for life--and for free!"

    We don't operate that way. Never have (well, except for the '87 strike,) never will.

    -Love,
    The Seahawks 

    Posted by The Seahawks

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hey, that wasn't very nice! There is a language difficulty that you aren't taking into account with your sarcastic post! He IS from Asia and you know darn well what he meant. Not nice picking on the guy because his English isn't as good as yours!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Our bad. We wholeheartedly apologize to all of the 12th Men of Asian descent who enjoy watching the quality product we put forth for their entertainment. No offense was intended by our prior statements.

    -Love,
    The Seahawks 

     

    Posted by The Seahawks

    ReplyDelete