| 15 September 2009
Tim Ruskell has gotten a lot of flak for his first round picks in recent weeks and years. On Sunday, 2009 First Rounder Aaron Curry proved that he belonged on this team and on that field. Playing almost every snap, Curry was disruptive and hard hitting, and more than that he got into the Rams' star player's head (Steven Jackson) without letting them get under his skin at all. That's impressive. 2008 first rounder Lawrence Jackson also had a very good game, maybe his best yet upon a second review. Jackson was a beast and was consistently disruptive, especially in the first half. 2006 #1 Kelly Jennings was decent in coverage but was not called on much, and Chris Spencer sat out with a torn left quadriceps. So, y'know, mixed bag.
But how about those second rounders?
2005: Lofa Tatupu - Tatupu proved again why he is the leader of the defense. He tackled very well, he diagnosed plays well, and he came up with a massive sack, sliding by Richie "Not Actually" Incognito to drill Bulger practically untouched. Tatupu made a full game's worth of plays in the three quarters he was in for.
2006: Darryl Tapp - Tapp was my defensive MVP for the game. He had a deflection, some tackles, a lot of QB pressure and was just always exactly where he needed to be. He had a phenomenal game and, as just about the most likeable guy on the team, you can't help but keep rooting for him.
2007: Josh Wilson - No one gives Wilson the credit he deserves, but he had an awesome game -- much better than Ken Lucas on the other side. Wilson is a straight up football player. Who gives a damn that he's 4'6"? He may be our most technically sound cornerback and he's a ball-hawk to boot. He didn't do anything special or mindblowing this weekend, but he was solid as a rock on this very iffy secondary.
2008: John Carlson - Led the team with 95 yards receiving and two touchdowns, plus his blocking looked great throughout the game. Carlson is clearly a special player and he has the size and speed to line up outside in three and four-wide sets, which he did a few times this weekend. Before long, teams are going to be gameplanning around JC, but that shouldn't stop him from continuing to find the holes in zone coverage and speed past the linebackers assigned to cover him.
2009: Max Unger - Unger played every single snap of the first game. Matt Hasselbeck was not sacked once, Julius Jones ran for about 120 yards, and there were no false starts or holding penalties. Remember: three of the five players on this line are "backups" at their position.
Pretty amazing, if you ask me. I love the look and feel of this 2009 Seahawks squad. Let's see how they look going against better competition next week when they face the 49ers. With these five guys getting significant playing time, I think we've got a pretty good shot.
Photo by Rod Mar @ Eye on the Hawks blog on Seahawks.com.
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