BREAKING: Browns Acquire Wallace [Updated]

Please be a 3

Please be a 2nd.

I would guess late round

It'll be a 5 or a 6.

Would you rather have a 2010 5th or a 2011 4th?

it is for the 2011 5th round pick.

Anyone else notice that jersey #15 is free now? ;-) Marshall or Tebow?!!

Clayton is saying probably 2011 4th or 5th.. perhaps dependent upon performance

..and that Derek Anderson will be released March 15th.. he's due a sizable roster bonus

Now, if you had your choice, would you prefer, hypothetically, the at one time all everything ND QB Brady Quinn.. or this yrs edition: Clausen?

QB is the highest valued postion, he has starting experience and you can't even get a pick this year? and at best it will be a 4th next year. I just don't understand trade value anymore.

lets get tim tebow

No way it is a 3rd. I'd actually be shocked if it's a 4th. Hope I'm wrong of course.

Haha, nice observation...maybe that was a stipulation he made to bring him in?

Can't wait to see what Branch's trade value is. Probaly a 7th rd pick in the 2015 Canadian League draft.

BTW - D. Anderson will be a Seahawk by 3/20.

Well you can assue we will be drafting a QB somewhere in the draft now. I'm sure we pick someone up in FA and maybe move Teel to the practice squad if we draft a QB higer than the 6th.

Tebow will never be a NFL caliber starting QB and would be a waste of a draft pick

Cleveland has something like 9 picks in the first five rounds this year. How could we not pry a 4th round pick from them?

I think CougHawk is right. Anderson will be a Seahawk soon. His accuracy needs work, but he does have an arm and is only 26. With Hass, Anderson and Teel, I'm not sure we'd draft any QB's this year. And frankly, that makes me HAPPY. Go ahead, trade #6 to Denver for Marshall and Denver's 3rd rounder (#80), then take Charles Brown at 14, Chad Jones at 40, Montario Hardesty at 80, Mitch Petrus at 101. That's WR, OT, big SS, RB and OG. I'll be popping Champagne on draft day.

I hope this does not make Clausen a more 'acceptable' option. His ego does not fit in with the culture of Seattle or the Seahawks, his decision making is poor, and he will not be any better than Brady Quinn, regardless of the amount of tutoring Matt gives him.

Like 'realistic' said, Tebow will never be a starting-caliber NFL QB. All of this changing of his throwing motion and working with ASU coordinators may prove that he's willing to work hard, but hard work isn't enough to be a star in the NFL. He simply doesn't have the skills to become a top-tier quarterback.

Our best option in this draft is LeFavour from CMU in the 3rd of 4th round. He's the kind of QB Matt can tutor and we have enough time to bring him along like Aaron Rodgers in GB. We have far too many needs in other positions to draft a QB in rounds 1 or 2, and drafting an OL in round 1 is a much safer bet than a QB.

Now Seneca can sack himself in Cleveland as a way to entertain children.

I am thinking a 4th rounder in 2011. Too bad it is not an early 5th rounder this year since the draft is deep.

I'm looking to see if anyone knows for sure the rules on signing restricted FA's. In the case of Marshall the Hawks have to give up their highest first round pick, correct?

I believe others have asked, but I'm not sure there's been an answer...is it possible to trade the 6 overall pick for something in the mid teens along with a 3rd or so. That would make the 14th the highest pick the hawks have.

Or is it required that the pick surrendered be the original one assigned to that team for that round?

Calicheesesucks,

How is Clausen's decision making poor? He threw a mind boggling 69% completion percentage, 3772 yards, 28 TDs and get this only 4 INTs. All in a pro style offense. Say what you will about Clausen's personality (which doesn't hinder Phil Rivers at all) but his proformace was spectacular at ND.

I agree with Cheese! Draft O-line early its usually safer.

It is for the teams own #1 pick.. in this case the #6... which I would most definitely not do.. If Denver won't sign and trade for the #40 (especially in this draft), I say bag it..

Look at who he racked those numbers up against: Nevada, Washington, Washington State, UConn, etc. Most of those impressive stats were put up against defensive cupcakes.

When he played against USC, he threw for 56% and USC dominated most of the game. Against Purdue, he threw 57% with 1 td and a pick.

For comparison, I think most of us agree that Brady Quinn will likely bust with Cleveland? His final season he threw for 62% with 37 TD's and 7 INT's and played in much bigger games against arguably tougher opponents.

So what if thats who he played? Thats how college football works. How does justify your claim that he is a poor decision maker?

He also played 8 bowl teams this past season, so its not like he had a cakewalk for a schedule.

There's ways around giving the #6 for Marshall. If the Hawks signed Marshall to a tender, and denver didn't match, Denver gets #6. The Hawks didn't tender Marshall. Once Denver realizes they aren't getting a first rounder from anyone (hopefully) they can work out compensation from Seattle.
To make that work, Marshall would have to sign his tender offer as an RFA with Denver, Denver then trades him to Seattle for whatever agreed compensation, and finally Seattle tears up that contract and gives him the payday he so desperately wants.
This is why this deal will take forever to work out. Right now, Denver is seeing who they can get the best deal from. At the same time Marshall is trying to get his best deal. If that team gives up their 1st round, then Denver either matches or gets the first round pick. Until a team signs marshall to a tender, Denver can still shop for the best compensation they can get.

All of this is based on backroom handshake deals between GM's and agents alike. So until Marshall is signed to a tender or RFA period ends, I think April 15th, the Hawks are in the running for him. I'd personally like to see the #40 pick as compensation, which could happen. Stay tuned.

BaNos, thanks for the clarification. I was wondering if it were possible to trade down to pick up some more picks and then end up trading the highest first remaining, but if that's not doable then I would bag it if it'd cost the 6th overall pick.
Marshall would be a great pick up, but I think the risk is too high and the opportunity cost is too high at 6. He was suspended by both Denver and the NFL last year...it doesn't matter how great he is if he's sitting at home on gameday.

Denver is either going to have to be willing to negotiate or run with Marshall on their team this coming year in my opinion.

Unfortunately, I lived with a ND fan throughout the season, so I watched all of their games. I'm basing this on observations I made while watching the games (obviously I'm not going to re-watch the games for specific proof). I remember seeing him force balls into coverage against inept defenses that couldn't capitalize, or watching Golden Tate (or another teammate) make a great play with a bad throw, or watching him pass up on a check-down reciever and throw it to someone that's covered.

Most of those bowl teams he did well against had terrible defenses. He threw for 3 TD's or more in a game 3 times throughout the season - against Nevada, Michigan, and Stanford. He only found the end zone once against Pitt and Purdue.

I'm not saying Jimmy Clausen is going to be an awful player in the NFL. I think he'll be a really good backup and maybe even a decent starter. But you draft a 1st round quarterback with the intention of him leading your team for years to come. Clausen is not that quarterback and is a poor choice for the Seahawks.

I will miss Senecat.It was fun especially win he ran all over the raiders on monday night back in the day.Good luck with the Browns.

we gave up a 5th round pick for WR K. Colbert who lasted all of 3-5 weeks but can only get a 5th round pick for a QB with a chance to start. Where is the justice?

They are reporting that the hawks pick will be based on how much Seneca plays.What the hell is that.Is that there way of saying sorry to Holmgren,WTF.Cant we just be normal like other teams.I dont get it.

Thank you, Holmy. I was so sick of seeing Wallace run out of bounds last year instead of throwing it away. It just made my blood boil. I would much rather have seen Teel take some reps than see Wallace in there.

One of Holmgren's fatal flaws has always been his loyalty to individual players. It looks like that is continuing in Cleveland. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Holmy, but that has always been a criticism of him.

Omar, I'm on your side. I am not a fan of Clausen, but I can't deny that he did an amazing job this year. His decision making was probably his best trait. I hate ND and I mainly watch the games in the hopes of seeing them lose, but over the year, I gained some respect for Clausen. He's gonna be very good somewhere...Seattle or elsewhere. Don't forget, he played on a really badly injured toe almost all season and still played really well. Tough kid.

Glad to see Seneca gone. His career wasn't going anywhere in Seattle. I don't care what we got for him - I truly believe he would've been cut if they didn't trade him.

Something tells me that we should stay away from Claussen. Let the Redskins pick him up. I'm hoping that McCoy drops to us at 6. The donkeys will eventually trade Marshall to us. I still think it will involve Hawthorne and Branch.

Lets fix the trenches. That's where the game is won and lost. McCoy, one of the LTs, perhaps a guard, then everything else as it comes.

Looking back at Ruskell's picks makes me so happy he's not calling the shots anymore. Seeing Mora on the Network makes me happier that he's not our coach either.

Wow, all this change in the last few months seems so far like a realoading instead of rebuilding if you forget about 08/09. I would rather be in our position moving forward than Arizona's, moving backwards. Agree?

I agree with what you said about seneca, he did have his moments, but the last 2 years watching him lose big time yardage instead of just throwing the ball away!
I think this is great because obviously coach feels that it's time to give teel the backup spot.
I also don't see how having the best 1-2 punch at wr is bad either. Carroll can reach him in the ways others couldn't. He'll sing a different tune as soon as he leaves denver, unless it's to detroit or something.

I just wish the hawks would get more picks this year. Who is the next guy we trade away for picks. Branch is not important when we get another receiver either in FA or the Draft (maybe a 4 or 5), Spencer is a center not a gaurd and we may be able to get a 2nd rounder for him., Hawthorne is starting caliber but will be on the bench (Late second or third), Kerney is probably still worth a 4th or 5th rounder.
Even if these trades are for next years picks I would be fine.
Just think about our 2011 draft.

1st
2nd
2nd or 3rd from Spencer
2nd or 3rd from Hawthorne
3rd
4th
4th or 5th from Kerney
4th or 5th from Branch
4th or 5th from Wallace
5th
6th
7th
and any comp picks (possibly a 3rd or fourth rounder for burleson if we do not end up picking up much in FA.

This could add up to 12 or thirteen total picks in the 2011 draft, and possibly up to 10 in the first four rounds. Sure we would be thin this year, but we would only be loosing one starter in Kerney.

Who else thinks this would be awesome, not now but for the long run.

Glad we got something for the guy. I wish Seneca the best, and hope it works out in Cleveland.

I for one am glad for Seneca and for the Hawks. It is time to move on from the old and usher in the new. Heres to hoping Hasselback has a year or two left in his tank to help us bridge the gap, and here is to us having the luck to find the QB of our future. Go Hawks.

Check this out: http://bleacherreport.com/arti...-seah[url]awks

Farmer Paul,
I hope you're right

I would have liked to see Shawn Rodgers name in the mix I know he wants out of there, He is absolute beast and would be huge for this D.I could only imagine having a guy like that with some middle push on those dreaded 3rd and 5 situations that we always seem to be at the short end of every year would do to this D,HMMMMMM?

I'm glad to see him go he is not a starter in seattle for sure let him try it under Holmgren. Now we can start looking for a new Franchise QB.

I am sad to see Wallace go. I also cant believe we didnt pry a pick out of Holmgrens fat fingers for this year. Ridiculous! Just shows Caroll and company really do want to pick thier own qb (UGH!).

I have said it before, and I will say it again: If Mike Holmgren values Wallace enough to trade for him and give him a chance to start, he's better than you folks give him credit for.

Holmgren is much more likely to be right than you all are. He is, after all, a HOF coach to be who molded two Super Bowl qb's.

I will be rooting hard for Wallace and the Browns. I bet they do a lot better than Seattle this year. Next year, we'll see!

On Clausen: Omar, it matters a great deal that Claussen played well only against vastly inferior opponents. When he played teams near his own's talent level, he struggled mightily. He forced passes and made poor decisions, and relied too heavily on Tate's abilities to bail him out--and that kind of thing will fail in the NFL. And how many of those 8 teams that played in a bowl were really any good? Almost everone who finished with an even record got a bowl: everyone gets a bowl, "Its how college football works", but it doesnt prove a thing.

Claussen may turn out to be a good NFL Qb. But like Tebow, its gonna take awhile. He's not a guy I want wearing Hawk Blue, both due to his shitty attitude and general jerkiness (a-la-Rivers), and his lack of experience against top teams, and his struggles against the good teams he faced.

And spending 40 million doesnt guarantee anything except that your stuck with the guy for a decade. And if you choose wrong, youre screwed for a decade plus.

Im not against taking a qb in the first, Im just not hot for the guys available at our pick last year or this year. Besides, we probably would have to trade up to land Claussen, which would be utterly boneheaded.

The negative stories about Clausen's character seem to have wings. What is it based on? The reports on his combine interviews were positive.

What has Seneca shown in the past two years (and don't give me those misleading statistics where he pads them during blowouts) that he should be starting in any league?

Time to move on from the Holmgren era and not live in it forever.

Ok, so we've sat quietly while Bodden, Kampman, and others have found other teams. When are we going to jump into Free Agency?

I ALSO hope you're right! Age 28 with 7 years of experience on a very successful team? SIGN HIM NOW!!

http://www.nfl.com/players/ryanlilja/profile?id=LIL261174

I liked Seneca as a person but not as a QB. I would have liked to see how he could do as WR but I wish him the best.

Seneca was and is still the worst backup QB in the league. Just look at his decision making, Running out of bounds ten yards behind the line instead of throwing it away, that is just stupid decision making.

I for one, am glad Seneca is gone. I don't like the fact that we have to draft a QB now but oh well. I would have liked to wait until next year to draft Locker but that doesn't look like it will happen.

I like Seneca but not as a QB and especially not in any system other than Holmgren's West Coast Offense. It took him years to figure that out and once he did he was not bad. Last year our offense was terrible but in a new system that was not as structured as Holmgren's Wallace was terrible. I just don't think we could afford to wait 3 more years for him to pick up the new offense. I'm happy that he's back where he belongs, with Holmgren. Just like there are Parcel's guys, there are apparently Holmgren guys too and Seneca is one of them. STTM.B, just because Parcels loves Chad Pennington does not mean that he is a great QB. It means that he's at his best in the Tuna's system.

This is not Holmgren's team anymore!!! Get over it. It was great while it lasted but it ran it's course.

On Clausen - I don't care who he played against, his numbers were still off the charts. If he threw tough balls to his #1 WR and he made the catch that is not a problem. He knew that his guy could get to it. Do you really think that Matt Shaub is any good without Andre Johnson? Look at Cutler without Brandon Marshall. Clausen is going to be a good QB. He's tough and smart and he is a hard worker. I don't think you'll see him getting charged multiple times for rape like Big Ben. If he has fire like Philip Rivers then I'm even more excited to have him on the team. What's wrong with having a player who cares, even if he is cocky. He's the F'ing quarterback, the leader of the team. He should be a little cocky. The San Diego players love Rivers because he is fired up, cocky and he believes in his team.

On Ryan Lilja - I don't really know how to grade linemen but he seemed to protect Manning pretty well. The question is whether or not he can run block. That may not matter as much though if we are lining up Marshall, TJ, Carlson & Butler.

Also, on LeFevour, that guy is a running QB. His claim to fame is that he rushed for 700+ yards. His completion percentage was really good too but did he play in a pro offense? Who did he play against coming out of Central Michigan? I really do like this guy too but he is more of a project than Clausen and if he is that good he won't last past the 2nd round. Just look at Flaco out of Delaware, same sort of guy and he jumped into the 1st round.

We can take a little "jerkiness" along with that.

Right, Seneca is the worst backup qb in the league because he made two stupid plays last year. And all you folks know more than Mike Holmgren. Riiiight!

SSREporters--Last year Seneca didnt play well. Neither did anyone except Forsett on offense. Even Hasselbeck looked horrible, and his stuuupid interceptions in the last four games were mind bogglingly idiotic. And that was due to Knapp and Mora and thier pathetic system.

Running out of bounds? Stupid. Did Seneca EVER do that under Holmgren? No. He never had to. Because Holmgrens system worked. Because even with no offensive line, and the worst corps of WR EVER in the NFL in 2008, Seneca kept the game close, protected the ball, made throws every week Hasselbeck could never have made, and even brought us back late in the fourth quarter against vastly superior opponents, such as NE--where he was sacked almost upon recieving the snap, not his fault.

Back even further, in 2007 Wallace played pretty well for 3 straight games, winning two of them without a starting RB to take pressure off him. He even threw deep balls, something we hadnt seen since Warren Moon. THen came the Kansas City game, where Wallace pulled a young Hasselbeck and ignored Holmgren and began taking chances that didnt pay off. Holmgren responded by benching Wallace and putting a still-injured Matt back under C.

Point being, Wallace played well in three straight games, and did better than Matt in 2008 with nothing but garbage around him.

I dont like letting him go for a pick next year. I would have liked to see what he could do as the starter from day 1 in a year or two, especially since even if we get Bradford or Claussen, they likely wont be ready to play by the time Hass falls apart. And Teel might not be either. No one knows what he can do.

I saw much more from Seneca that I liked than things I didnt. And maybe he never will be any good outside Holmgrens system. The same could be said for Matt Hasselbeck, the juries still out on that one. Now Wallace has a chance to play under Holmgren again, which cant hurt his chances. Great, Im happy for him. And I dont think we got adequate compensation for him. So Im sad to see him go.

I find it truly hilarious that due to two plays, so many people are absolutely sure that they know more than Mike Holmgren. I cant get over that one! Thats why he makes $5 million a year in the NFL, and guys like us comment on blogs about what he does!

How about a 5-9 record as a starter. He's a good guy and he's fun to watch but he's not a starting QB and he's not even a good backup in any system other than Holmgren's.

One other thought...maybe the new regime likes Teel. I think it's more likely that they didn't think Seneca would be good in their system but you never know.

Oklahoma Pro Day Mar 9
Alabama Pro Day Mar 10
Florida Pro Day Mar 17
Notre Dame Pro Day Mar 23
USC Pro Day Mar 31
NFL Draft Apr 22-24

If we don't sign a free agent QB, get ready for the Hawks to draft 2 QBs, one early and one late.

Just watched this on youtube. Do you really want to give up a #6 pick for this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfMj7qNt6X8

Does anyone know what happened with bells visit.How about the list of o-line free agents to visit.A couple months ago I figured hawthorne would be worth something in trade,throw in branch and # 40 for marshal. Does anyone in the front office remeber the first play in houston......anyone.....wait thier all gone!

What was Matt's record through his first 14 games started? I know he sucked for more than two straight years. I watched every game, and I was screaming for Dilfer. Then Dilfer got hurt, and Hass still sucked. Like I said, he got it together his last 6 games of his first full season--but he had Darrell Jackson, Koren Robinson, and Engram to throw to, Ricky Watters taking snaps, and a good offensive line. Seneca only had that in 2007.

It isnt that I want to hang onto Holmgrens way anymore--its that I dont feel we were adequately compensated for Wallace. Just as it was idiocy to let Weaver go last year for nothing and sign The Raider.

Youre right, maybe Caroll and company like Teel and feel he's a better fit than Wallace. They still should have gotten more for Wallace.

TDSmoker--So far in FA, it seems Schneider is content to bring guys in and lowball them. We havent signed anyone, and that isnt good. We are desperate for O-line, and I cant believe we havent signed someone. Plus, we never even brought Bodden in. I would have paid Bodden 5-7 million a year. We need him, and we have more holes than picks.

While I dont like overpaying for FA's (Duckett, Jones, etc) I also dont like waiting till all the decent ones are gone, then signing the lefotver garbage cheap.

I really had hopes we'd sign Bodden. And I still hope we sign Lilja. He's a ZBS guy, and Gibbs should be able to improve his run blocking. Lilja has to be better than Spencer and we still might lose Sims.

Slave,
I'm guessing the reason we haven't found out WHAT pick in 2011 we get for Wallace is that the pick won't be decided until after 2011...if he ends up being the starter and doing well, it could indeed be a high pick...if all he does is hold a clipboard, not so high...so I'm rooting for Seneca!

I hear ya Nightwulf! Im rooting for him cause I think he's a player and a good guy, but also cause the better he does, the better our compensation. I still think we should have gotten a third for him, or a fourth this year and a fifth next. Oh well.

You are a fucking retard bro... You were consistenatly pissed off about Ruskell's "swing for the fence" strategy in free agency. And now you are complaining about the new regiem's startey which waits for the first wave of FA's to be overpaid. Dude all you do is complain. You can't fucking sign great free agents for cheap in the first week of free agency... Choose a style and stick to it dude. We are all sick and tired of hearing you bitch and moan all of the time. This is EXACTLY the approach you wanted Ruskell to take last year. So please slow your roll as a 400 lb. armchair GM and wait and see how this team turns out before you continue you yearly rant about the piss poor job the team is doing. If you could do any better in life I'm sure you'd do much more than just complain on a blog where nobody cares what you say. FA is simple: Overpay for a need or get decent talent for the right price later. Pick at strategy and stick to it...

"While I dont like overpaying for FA's (Duckett, Jones, etc) I also dont like waiting till all the decent ones are gone, then signing the lefotver garbage cheap."...

Then WTF do you want the team to do? Please elaborate...

Since it happened yesterday, perhaps it's not "BREAKING" anymore.

I don't think you know how to judge talent. Wallace was not a talented NFL caliber QB. He was a stud at Iowa but that is college and in a college style offense. Not a pro style offense. It Wallace forever to get Holmgren's system, and when he did he was still a second at best.

I agree! http://bleacherreport.com/arti...ryan-lilja

It's possible. http://content.usatoday.com/co...anderson/1

Derek anderson was just released, I am sure holmgren offered us anderson for wallace. But carrol went for the draft pick instead. Do you guys think we should sign anderson to back up hass??

I say lets grab derek anderson as he can compete and maybe start is he return to his 2006 self or at least backup. As for FA i think we are just being careful, we are not win now mode we are rebuild which means dont get older player and dont overpay for the name when the talent you can get for cheaper.

Anderson sucks, he had that one season that wasn't even that good. It was surprising but definitly not great. He would probably be a slight improvment over Wallace but I'd still rather see us get Clausen (if hes available) and keep Teel around.

Hawkitup--Enough with the name calling and swearing. Are you in Junior High School or something you Troll?! Crawl back under your rock or something...

I didnt like the fact that Ruskell paid 4.5 million guaranteed to an over-the-hill TJ Duckett and 4.5 million the first couple years to Julius Jones, as he could have had Turner for less than the cost of those guys. ANd I was proven 100% right about that. If Ruskell had really been "swinging for the fences" in FA, he would have signed Turner, not Jones/Duckett.

Ruskell failed at FA, as he did pretty much across the board (other than drafting--but only ONE of his draft picks in five years has made the Pro Bowl as a Hawk).

Im not angry or complaining about Schneider and Carolls tactics on FA this year, just disappointed. I am nervous about our offensive line and secondary, and noted, as MANY OTHERS HAVE, that Seattle has more holes to fill than they have draft picks this year.

While there were excellent second-tier FA available the last couple years, this years crop is pretty lame. I dont blame Schneider for not overspending, but it WOULD have been nice to sign at least ONE OL or DB like Bodden--wouldnt it?!

I never said I think Caroll and companies approach to anything is piss-poor: on the contrary, I like most of what they are doing and am glad they arent repeating Ruskell's mistakes. (I am disappointed we didnt get more for Wallace, but at least Seneca now has a chance to start).

Everything I complained about Ruskell was proven right. Turner was a far better bargain for the money than Duckett/Jones, small WR's really arent worth 7 million a year plus a first round pick, tiny DB's suck, and you really DO have to draft O-lineman above the fourth round if you want to field a competent line.

Stop me if I'm making sense here...

As for my BRIEF FA comments, I meant I am getting nervous watching middle-priced second tier FA's at positions of need get gobbled up when we have glaring holes that could be filled. We have no cap, and Im quite sure ALlen isnt stingy: So why is Schneider pinching pennies like he's still in GB with the madate to stay $20 million under the cap?! I dont get it. But hey, FA's only a week old. Plenty more time left.

I dont have a problem with Schneider and Carolls FA period--yet. So far, they havent done anything but "lose" Burleson (which IMO is addition by subtraction and Im fine with it). So dont get your undies in a bunch. I was simply hoping out loud we make a play for someone like Lilja or Bodden (except he's gone) since it appears Allen can afford it, and we have nothing to lose. Its not like we cant find FA O-lineman that are better than ours--arent they all better?!

HawkRawk--Take your argument that Seneca isnt any good to Holmgren, see how far it gets you. Since youre such a great qb talent evaluator, why arent you making six figures a year as a qb coach or Pro Personnell director in the NFL?! Im sure Holmgren will step down so they can hire you, since you know so much more than him about Seneca Wallace's value...

It's all good man. Chill, take a deep breath. Too much angst on this blog! I believe in this new front office. It's great to see that they are taking their time to with free agency, it's a very wise tactic. In the long run, I almost guarantee by the draft you will see fellas like Brandon Marshall, Ben Watson, Mike Bell, and hopefully Ryan Lilja and Leigh Bodden. There is nothing wrong with taking the time to see this thing through. Pete Carroll mentioned not to long ago that he was impressed with the team as is. The talent level was impressive to him with just a few minor changes. John Schneider made a similar statement during the combine. Let's give these guys a break and let them do their thing. On the Seneca note, I think it's fantastic that he is getting a chance with a new team. I guarantee he will be the starter for the Browns this season. It's all good!

ESPN reports:

Free-agent cornerback Leigh Bodden reached a four-year, $22 million agreement to remain with the New England Patriots, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Tuesday.


The deal includes $10 million in guaranteed money and $14 million over the first two years of the deal, the source said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nfl/news/story?id=4980371

I guess that's a no to Bodden coming to Seattle.

Bodden was never going anywhere. He went out to test the market and see what he could charge the Patriots for his services. Once he figured out a fair market price (and had someone else interested in order to drive the price up a bit), he went back to the Patriots and signed his deal.

I would have liked to wait until next year to draft Locker but that doesn't look like it will happen.

Why do fans just assume that if we wait until next year, we could draft Locker? If Locker is everything everyone thinks he is, he'll be one of the top two picks in the draft. How are we going to get there? Do we intentially lose every game this season to assure we'll be there to draft him? Are we willing to give up all our draft picks and whatever players it takes to move up to select him?

I thought the whole reason we fired Mora and Ruskell was to get better and win more games. If Carroll wins 7 games next season, we'll be drafting out of the top 10 and it will literally take our whole draft (at least the top 3 or 4 picks) to have enough points to move up to number 1 to draft Locker.

It would be the most stupid thing we could do to pass up on the chance to acquire a franchise QB who is available to us at number #6 this year thinking that we'll just pick one up next year instead. Only two teams will have a chance at a franchise QB this year. If Bradford goes number 1 and Clausen goes number 4, that means you had to be a top 4 picking team this year to get a shot at one of the franchise QB's. That's the way it is every year. How many years do you guys want to go through a season like the last two and end up in the top 5 or 6?

I'll bet Carroll will improve the team's record where we'll be out of the top ten in the 2011 draft and therefore, no franchise QB available to us without a severly expensive price expecially to a rebuilding team who needs it's draft choices desperately. Better think long and hard if Clausen is available at number #6 least we end up searching for a QB for the next decade using lower 1st round picks or lower round picks where the percentage of success drops to 10% or less rather than the 50% chance you statistically get in the top 10.

We searched for a QB from the time Dave Kreig left the team until we finally found Hasselbeck which was well over a decade. Moon was OK for the last two years of his career but was just a stop-gap at that point. Without a good QB, you manage to win enough games to not be a top ten drafting team yet not enough to be in the playoff's. Just like the end of the 80's through the 90's and the first couple years of Holmgren's tenure all over again. 7 - 9, 8 - 8, and 9 - 7 keeps a team in a kind of limbo where they have a hard time acquiring top young talent to get to the next level where they start making the playoffs yet with good coaching and average players, they can play .500 ball which will just keeps them out of the playoffs.

Now having said all that, ,

I'm pretty nuetral on Clausen. I've been passionatly commenting recently about taking that franchise QB if he's there because you just can't pass up that kind of opportunity. That's general football. If I were to expound on the subject, I would first point out that the second thing to consider and it's the only real deal breaker, is that the Head Coach/GM or whoever is the power behind the team is needs to believe in the guy. The rest doesn't matter. When you pay a guy like Pete Carroll the big bucks, you give him the reins and stand back. It's obvious Pete's looking for a QB so if he believes in Clausen (and he's been watching Clausen since he was in High school), that's a choice he has to take or he's making a bad football decision. If he's not convinced Clausen can make it, that's a different story and certainly just cause for passing him up.

Holmgren definately lost his title of quarterback guru when he came to Seattle. Seneca Wallace was a horrible aquisition and not just because he's too short to QB in the NFL. Seattle fans loved Matt Hasselbeck but truth be told, he was simply an average quarterback lucky enough to play in the worst division in the NFL. Hass still did nothing great with having the advantage of two of the best offensive linemen in history protecting him. Getting to the Super Bowl in 05 was easy, we did not have to play anybody strong in the playoffs because the NFC sucked.
One QB2 down, one QB1 to go!

http://nflnr.com/2010/03/seatt...evin-kolb/

Just a rumor, but definatly better then Anderson

Hey hawksfan80,

Do you ever have anything you would like to say about the team other than your obvious hatred for Matt Hasselbeck? Every time you post you mention "weakest divison", "weak NFC" and "average QB".

I got news for you, you don't get voted to 3 pro bowls being an average QB. Not in Seattle anyway. That crap may fly in Dallas or Pittsburg where your average QB get voted to the pro bowl just based on the team they play on, but Matt acutally had to earn his pro bowl status. Its a shame we never gave Matt talented WRs or TEs to work with, until now towards the end of his career.

I've always wondered what he would have done with a T.O., Steve Smith or Andre Johnson type talent. Insted he had to deal with guys like Jackson, Robinson and Stevens. Its a shame IMO.

On Jake Locker and the 2011 QBs,

Remember at the start of this year when Javon Snead and Colt McCoy were supposed to be the top QBs in the draft? Once people got a good look at them they realised they were not the elite talents they were once thought to be. No one is closely examining next years class of QBs, so of course they look like better options then Clausen and Bradford. Wait until the 2011 class gets under the microscope; its easier to look better when no one is paying any attention to you.

please just do something...its kinda early still...get the lineman from indy......
dont turn into the ny mets.....of previous yrs
JUST DO SOMETHING.....PLZ
all of you guys in the above statements have freaking great views....hope they listen to you

I am glad we were able to get some value for seneca, because he only had one more year on his contract, and wasn't going to have a place with the team if we drafted a QB. I never imagined that Carroll/Schnieder would feel as positive about having an inconsistent backup as Holmgren and company seemed to be. It does seem to point at the Seahawks drafting a QB though, doesn't it?

I would expect the Seahawks will sign one of the free agent QBs out there to compete with Teel for the backup role. My guess would be Jake Delhome, who sucks, but would come cheap, and does have quite a bit of NFL success behind him. (And before the griping starts, I AM NOT ADVOCATING FOR THIS. its an educated guess, based on the experience and careers of the free agent QBs out there). I wouldn't expect them to sign Anderson, but all things are possible, and he was an Oregon State guy...
If the Seahawks do draft a QB with the 6th pick, I could see them bringing in Mark Brunell. He is a long tenured veteran, who would be an invaluable aid to a rookie QB, and who probably would take a smaller salary to return to his home state.

And on Marshall, Kolb, and any other possible trade scenarios that bloggers, and bored sportswriters come up with, THERE IS NO WAY THE SEAHAWKS WILL TRADE AWAY THE #6 PICK IN THE DRAFT FOR ANY PLAYER! It makes no sense to waste that high of a pick, even on a player of Marshall's magnitude(The Kolb thing is laughable). Given Schneider's experience in green bay, where the focus on draft day trades is to trade down for MORE picks, I can't possibly see him rejecting that. I would love to see Marshall in a Seahawks uniform, but only if it costs us a 2nd rounder or less, and ONLY if our O-Line is addressed. Getting Marshall without addressing the line is a terrible idea... Like throwing nice rims on a ford tempo....

And i actually prefer this type of free agency period to the Ruskell era. Patience is a much better practice in Free agency. The first free agents to sign are always overpriced, and almost never worth it. Think about all the money we paid to Kerney, Jones, Duckett, Housch, etc over the past few years and how much real impact they had on the the team's success. To think Julius Peppers, Aaron Kampman, Chester Taylor, etc... will come in and change the seahawks fortunes is ridiculous. The only thing that players like this do is eat up cap space, preventing a team from re-signing key players, or adding a few smaller names, low risk high/reward players. This is one of the key operating mantras of the New England Patriots, and is a big reason that they are always one of the top AFC teams.

If you want a great example of this, compare the Bill Bavasi Mariners vs the Jack Z. Mariners.

That being said, adding one (or both) of the two top guards on the market would go a long way toward rebuilding our fractured O-line, and would be a smart signing, instead of a knee-jerk one. so i would heavily advocate for us signing Ryan Lilja and Ben Hamilton

I haven't gone through and read the comments today, but I saw that Bodden resigned with NE... That sucks as I had high hopes for him. Atleast Boldin is gone and makes Wilson's match up easier. And there's still a chance of Haden or couple other good CB's in the draft. Who knows though. I guess PC and Co. think Wilson can cover the bigger recievers well enough.

after digesting the mocks it realy comes down to this: Who will be taken before we pick for sure. Anyone want to disagree that Bradford, Suh, McCoy are gone? If Clausen is gone then you know Bradford is too. That leaves two. Berry, Okung as 5 or 6 who would you choose? If Clausen is there Berry or Okung are not. What do you genious~ want to prove?

One of the DTs will most likely slide to us due to the Corey Williams trade. No way Detroit drafts a DT with him on the roster. They need to protect Stafford and since Jim Schwartz is a smart coach he will really push for Okung. They'll draft Okung for sure.

Tampa will take a DT, but Suh is not a lock. McCoy fits certain systems better, and the Tampa 2 is such a system. McCoy is not just some guy playing second fiddle, he is a true elite talent that doesn't come along very often. Suh's knee and age may knock him back in some teams eyes also. I think Suh is more likely but I wouldn't rule McCoy out of the picture.

Kansas city won't draft a DL in the top 5 for the third year in a row and I see them getting Bulaga Berry or Haden.

Washington may go QB but I wouldn't rule out LT especially since their boarderline HOF LT retired and they probably had the worst OL in the league last season. Shanahan really likes his LTs after all.

I could see both Clausen and McCoy/Suh falling to us.

I got news for you, you don't get voted to 3 pro bowls being an average QB. Not in Seattle anyway.

As far as the Pro Bowl, Hass would have never made it if he played in the AFC. The NFC was weak in quarterback talent, Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Delhomme were the best the NFC had to offer a couple seasons and IMO they are both average with some great moments. Matt also backed into the Pro Bowl as an alternate when Favre or McNabb was hurt. A great quarterback makes his receivers stars. Instead of wondering how good Hass would have done with a T.O. or Steve Smith, I wonder how much better and stronger the Hawks would have been last decade with an elite QB1. We certainly would have won more tough road and road playoff games! Shaun Alexander deserves more credit for the Hawks success last decade than the haters credit him, Shaun carried the Hawks to SBXL. Matt is a great guy with a personality that can carry him further than his talent.
Anyway Hass is on his way out, the Seneca trade is a tell that we will use #6 on a quarterback.

Oh, so I guess McNabb, Romo, Favre, Brees and Warner don't count as good NFC QBs???

Oh, and if your going to bash Delhomme (who is not anywhere in Matt's league, where are you getting this from?) how do you explain Steve Smith success? Kinda throws your "QBs make WRs great" argument out the window. I guess Matt should have told Stevens, Robinson, and Jackson to try harder to catch the ball and not drop third down receptions before the play. He should probably have told Bannister to run the right route also so we wouldn't have lost in GB back in 04. Would that have helped him make his WRs great? How often do you see Andre Johnson or Smith run bad routes or drop perfectly placed passes?

Yep, this was the best possible outcome for everyone.

Derek Anderson will visit hawks first... Were not going QB in the draft! We take B-marsh and make due with what we have... take Defense early in the draft and fill offensive needs later on during the draft.

NOt only Derek but also McNabb or Kolb...( really interested in what hawkfanz think of Kolb) Pete wants to win now

Omar--That OT play where Matt threw the pick: Its true Bannister ran the wrong route, BUT: all day long, I watched Matt throwing the out route, and all game long I commented that it looked like Al Harris was laying off that route, trying to get Matt to throw a pick later on. And on that play, Matt's body language telegraphed his intention to throw the out, and Al saw it. I turned the TV off when Matt cocked his arm...I knew what was coming.

One of Matt's greatest weaknesses is his tendency to lock onto a WR, to not progress though his reads. While he doesnt do this all the time (sometimes he goes through his progressions perfectly), he does it enough that even Troy Aikman, who thought Matt was a top-5 qb in 2003-2007, said he had that tendency to stare down recievers...just as he did on the AL Harris play.

So I have always felt that it wouldnt have mattered what route Bannister ran, Al was waiting on that route and was gonna jump it and take it to the house no matter what. The ony way that play wasnt unfolding like it did was if Matt didnt lock onto him. WHich didnt happen. So, the play was Matt's fault. IMO.

Sorry, but that play is one that has bothered me for years, since I saw it coming. It was just like a horrible nightmare coming true...I will stop obsessing now!

Hawkfan80--Your arguments are completely undermined by the use of the terms QB1 and QB2. You talk about football as if it were Madden. Dude, real NFL football is nothing like Madden. I wouldnt want to play against you on video game football, but I also am stoked the coaches dont see things your way.

sorry the DT's will not fall. The Skins getting Suh @4 is sketchy at best. But Im with you praise god.