Week #4 - 49'ers

[Agent 86]

Seahawks’ Russell Wilson-Pete Carroll era at critical juncture ahead of games vs. 49ers and Rams

By Michael-Shawn Dugar 4h ago 13

Pete Carroll preaches to his players and coaches that every game is a championship opportunity. It’s similar messaging to the “neutral thinking” teachings Russell Wilson learned under his late mental conditioning coach Trevor Moawad. In essence, the goal is to treat every moment, no matter how grand, like a normal occasion and execute accordingly.

But this isn’t a normal week for Seahawks and they know it. Which is why Carroll on Wednesday said there’s a “serious” vibe in the building following Seattle’s 30-17 loss to Minnesota.

Seattle’s players know being 1-2 isn’t good enough. They know having one of the worst defenses in the league is unacceptable. They know the offense disappearing in the second half is uncharacteristic. They know the NFC West is the best division in football and has two of the five remaining undefeated teams in the league. They know that losing on the road to the 49ers Sunday would mean the worst four-game start to the season since 2011. And that’s before playing the Rams just days later, on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 5.

“They want this to go the way our expectations are designed,” Carroll said of his team this week. “That means we have to play better and everybody knows that. I think, coming out of the meetings on Monday, showing the film, showing where the concerns were, the plays we could have made, and the decisions we could have made, everybody is tuned in.

“We are trying to tune in forever, but I think there is a little bit of a different feel about it. They want to prove it; they want to prove that we are on the right track and that we are going to win a bunch of different games.”

It’s early in the season but this is as close as it gets to a make-or-break stretch of football in early October. The Rams (3-0) and Cardinals (3-0) play each other Sunday afternoon, meaning the division will have one undefeated team at the conclusion of the weekend. Seattle falling to 1-3 would put it in a dangerous place, one the Seahawks haven’t experienced since 2011, when they had a three-game losing streak in Weeks 7-9 and ultimately missed the playoffs.

“Going into two divisional games, a short week after this game, you want to make sure you put your best foot forward,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “Make sure you do everything possible to make sure you are not the reason or you’re not in your way of success, especially from a defensive standpoint. We’ll treat this game like we would normally treat this game, but we need to have more focus than we’ve had.”

This is an especially important two-game stretch for Carroll and Wilson, the two most important people in the organization. Remember, the drama that unfolded this offseason is on pause, not fully resolved. Wilson subtly reminded us of this when he disagreed with Carroll’s assessment of his decision-making in overtime by highlighting the only thing that may salvage the relationship between the two franchise icons: winning.

Carroll being a defensive-minded head coach whose aversion to a pass-first offense runs antithetical to how the quarterback sees himself isn’t all that problematic … when they’re winning. Carroll overseeing personnel while proving to be poor at drafting offensive linemen and Legion of Boom replacements is no biggie … when they’re winning. Carroll making fourth-down decisions based on the benefit of the doubt he awards the defense and his kicking game instead of his $140 million quarterback is fine … when they’re winning.

But when the Seahawks aren’t winning? This QB-coach pairing feels less and less like a stable partnership.

“It’s Better to Be Feared,” a Patriots book detailing the deterioration of the relationship between the greatest quarterback-coach combo in NFL history is set to release this month, so it’s never too early to consider how crucial the Carroll-Wilson dynamic is for the fate of this franchise. Win these next two games and Seattle leaves Lumen Field on Oct. 7 singing “Hakuna Matata.” Lose these next two games and Wilson may have another “Dan Patrick Show” interview scheduled on the morning of Oct. 8. A split in these next two games is probably the most likely outcome, but it’s hard to gauge what that means for this team’s future. A 2-3 start with a 1-1 divisional record through five games is nothing to write home about but it keeps hands off the panic button, especially if one of those wins is over the Rams.

With that context in mind, this is to date the most important two-game stretch of the Wilson-Carroll era.

The reasons for pessimism are abundant. Seattle ranks 22nd in turnovers forced. Tre Flowers, one of the starting outside cornerbacks, either doesn’t trust or fully understand the coverage scheme – and he’s been in it longer than any of the other corners. Seattle’s best pass rusher, Carlos Dunlap, isn’t performing like the best pass rusher. And although he’s been effective in other areas, Jamal Adams’ impact as a rusher hasn’t been felt yet either. Carroll this offseason hired a new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, to be better than his predecessor at adjusting to defenses, and so far Seattle has one of the worst second-half offenses in the league. To be fair, that isn’t entirely tied to second-half adjustments – halftime is only about 10 minutes, after all – but such a drop-off in production from one half to the next is tragically bad.

Still, there are reasons for optimism. Wilson is performing like one of the best quarterbacks in the league and if he’s under center the Seahawks will have an efficient and explosive passing offense, which strongly correlates to team success. Seattle also has an efficient rushing attack. Despite a lack of production from its highest-paid rushers, the pass rush is eighth in quarterback pressures and 12th in sacks.

Plus, this version of the 49ers doesn’t pose the same threat as the 2019 unit that took the league by storm. Those 49ers were buoyed by a dominant run game and a suffocating pass defense. San Francisco is still sorting out its injury situation at running back and the run game as a whole has been good (not great); however, the defense is average at best and riddled with injuries in the secondary. This is a very winnable game for Seattle, which is a 3-point underdog.

Veteran players will almost always say the right things in times of turmoil but perhaps these words from two of the team’s highest-paid players will instill optimism entering the weekend.

“I love adversity and I know our football team does too,” Wilson said. Asked why he loves adversity, Wilson replied, “It’s all I’ve ever known.”

Speaking confidently about the defense entering this matchup, Adams stated, “Starting this week, things will change.”

The X-factor will be …

Jamal Adams. As noted earlier this week, Adams’ performance in the opposing backfield means a great deal to this defense. Adams has made his mark in other areas of the scheme, but aside from generating turnovers, there’s arguably no greater way to impact an offense than a negative play on the quarterback. Sack rates and pressure rates are largely controlled by quarterbacks and since Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t take sacks at a high rate, this will be a challenge for Adams and the rest of Seattle’s front line. But if Adams gets to Garoppolo even just once or twice in a key situation, that’s huge for Seattle’s hopes of pulling the upset.

I expect a big game from …

Deebo Samuel. The third-year receiver is uniquely built to thrive in an offense quarterbacked by Garoppolo because of how dangerous he is with the ball in his hands. Samuel is second in the league in receiving yards with 334 and 184 of those yards have come after the catch, the highest mark in the league among wideouts, according to TruMedia. Samuel ranks 70th among receivers in air yards per target but he’s fifth in yards after catch per reception (9.2). In other words, he turns nothing into something as well as anyone in the league. San Francisco isn’t much of a downfield passing team but defending deep balls hasn’t really been Seattle’s problem this year; as Carroll implied earlier this week, the underneath stuff is what’s killing them and Samuel is dangerous in that regard.

“I really see him as the star player for them,” Carroll said. “They utilize him in a fashion where they are always looking to get him the football, positioning him to make the plays, and counting on him to do the things that he’s done well. They really have used him well in the sense that you can see what he has that’s unique. He’s really physical, he’s fast enough to run away from guys, and he’s got a great competitive streak about him.”

The Seahawks win if …

Someone goes full “2019 Jadeveon Clowney” on the 49ers. Week 10 of the 2019 season is the last time Seattle beat San Francisco with Garoppolo starting and finishing the contest. Clowney in that game put together one of the best individual performances of the season, recording 11 of Seattle’s 24 quarterback pressures, five of the team’s 10 QB hits and a strip-sack. Garoppolo as a quarterback can go from serviceable to shaky when he’s knocked around, as the Packers demonstrated in their Week 2 win against the 49ers. If Wagner, Dunlap or Adams can have one of those impact performances Sunday, then it won’t matter what the offense does in the second half. San Francisco will have trouble keeping up.

The 49ers win if …

Their secondary holds up against Wilson. I’m not sure The Athletic’s website has the bandwidth to list all of the injuries San Francisco is dealing with in the secondary but to put it succinctly: Seattle is set up to feast on that unit. San Francisco’s best cover corner is going to be either Emmanuel Moseley, who gave up 120 yards and two scores against DK Metcalf in Week 8 last season, or 33-year-old Josh Norman playing with two bruised lungs. If, somehow, that unit slows Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in this game, then the 49ers should come out victorious.

Game prediction

49ers 27, Seahawks 26

This is a tough one to call, and for the gamblers at home I’m technically taking the points. It’s hard to give Seattle’s defense the benefit of the doubt as currently constructed, though, even if its offense should easily score points on Sunday.

[NorthHawk]

Injuries on Offense with Lockett having a hip issue and Metcalf a foot problem.
If they aren't 100%, the Offense will have a real long day.

[Uppercut]

Sunday at Levi shows about 88 degrees. That's about 100 on the field. Team will get gassed. Garapolo will have a big day with Kittle. I cannot be too optimistic. If they win the next 2 games my attitude will have changed. Go Mariners.

[RiverDog]

Sunday at Levi shows about 88 degrees. That's about 100 on the field. Team will get gassed. Garapolo will have a big day with Kittle. I cannot be too optimistic. If they win the next 2 games my attitude will have changed. Go Mariners.

Sounds like the Niners will be forcing us to wear our home blue uniforms.

If that weather forecast you're citing is accurate, the Hawks had better run the ball more often and rattle off some 12 play drives. If our defense is to have any chance at containing the Niners, we can't be putting up a nearly 2:1 TOP ratio like we did against the Titans.

[tarlhawk]

Definite challenges abound...number and type of injuries always cast anxiety. Looking at this schedule in its entirety makes me think..."treat every game like a championship" is more than a mantra...its a smack of reality. Eskridge looks electric whenever he touches the ball...his full potential will be on display next year. I'll be content with the "flashes" and each healthy game! Russell Wilson's downfield attack is always exciting. I also want to see a bit more of Waldrons offensive schemes expand into our playbook! 4-5 sacks would be nice as well!

[RiverDog]

Definite challenges abound...number and type of injuries always cast anxiety. Looking at this schedule in its entirety makes me think..."treat every game like a championship" is more than a mantra...its a smack of reality. Eskridge looks electric whenever he touches the ball...his full potential will be on display next year. I'll be content with the "flashes" and each healthy game! Russell Wilson's downfield attack is always exciting. I also want to see a bit more of Waldrons offensive schemes expand into our playbook! 4-5 sacks would be nice as well!

All I care about is winning. I don't care if the score is 2-0. Win and all of our problems go away (at least for a week) and everybody is happy. Lose and they'll be magnified 20 times over. But you're absolutely right about treating this as a championship caliber game. We lose this one and the playoffs become very problematic even in Week 4. Next week will be equally as important.

Rams-Cards square off 20 minutes prior to our kickoff. I wish they could have scheduled them in a different time slot as I'd love to watch that one. I haven't seen the Cards play so far this season.

[obiken]

All I care about is winning. I don't care if the score is 2-0. Win and all of our problems go away (at least for a week) and everybody is happy. Lose and they'll be magnified 20 times over. But you're absolutely right about treating this as a championship caliber game. We lose this one and the playoffs become very problematic even in Week 4. Next week will be equally as important.

Rams-Cards square off 20 minutes prior to our kickoff. I wish they could have scheduled them in a different time slot as I'd love to watch that one. I haven't seen the Cards play so far this season.

We would fall to 1-3 Riv, yeah it would be bad, 3 full games behind the Rams. Zero hour has I have said is Pitts, we lose to them and with their front 4 we could, you could put a wrap on our season. They are at home and lost a heart breaker to the Packers, I think this game is huge.

[RiverDog]

Zero hour has I have said is Pitts, we lose to them and with their front 4 we could, you could put a wrap on our season. They are at home and lost a heart breaker to the Packers, I think this game is huge.

Beating Pittsburgh isn't going to matter much if we lose to the Niners and the Rams.

All games are important, but a Week 6 game against a non conference foe ranks well down the list even for a team in our circumstances. These two divisional games are huge.

[obiken]

The whole Hot weather whine falls flat with me, its the same for both sides. Moreover, its not Oregon losing to Stanford in 100 degrees, these guys are pros, if they are not in shape too bad. My Gut tells me we pull one out here. After that IF we beat the Rams okay, I might have hope then!

[RiverDog]

Ugh, this game is ugly. Three 3 and outs. We get our first interception of the season, in scoring position, and can't do a damn thing with it.

We ran 9 plays for a -3 yards total offense in the first quarter. Have we ever put up a worse first quarter of offensive football?

Edit: 12 offensive plays for -7 total yards, 4 straight 3 and outs. Not much of a contest in today's offense vs. defense blame game.

[trents]

Injuries on Offense with Lockett having a hip issue and Metcalf a foot problem.
If they aren't 100%, the Offense will have a real long day.

You mean a short day. A series of three and outs so far.

[RiverDog]

You mean a short day. A series of three and outs so far.

Yea, no kidding. Halfway through the 2nd quarter and SF is ahead of us in TOP by a 2:1 ratio, and we received the opening kickoff.

5 straight 3 and outs to open the game. smh.

[RiverDog]

Wow, this is unreal! We go 25+ minutes w/o a first down, 5 three and outs to start the game, and we're tied at 7.

SF is having to use their punter as their PK and their backup FB as the holder, missing a 41 yard FG. That could be a critical factor as the game goes on.

[jshawaii22]

21-7 when we had -8 yards after the first 4 series... that's why you just never know.

[Aseahawkfan]

Got the win. Nice.

[EmeraldBullet]

Our defense I think olayed really good other than garbage time, the first drive by the whiners, and that one blown coverage play

[Hawktawk]

Nice job of flipping the script . The hawks finally played a second half . We have a pulse . Had we lost this we would have been toast

[obiken]

Nice job of flipping the script . The hawks finally played a second half . We have a pulse . Had we lost this we would have been toast

Hey my gut was right, course its pretty big!! The shocker of the day to me HT, was the Rams getting crushed by the Cards!!

[RiverDog]

Nice job of flipping the script . The hawks finally played a second half . We have a pulse . Had we lost this we would have been toast

Yes, the defense finally came to the party, although we do have to note that the Niners suffered a huge blow losing Jimmy G. in the first half, leaving it up the the rookie Trey Lance, whom I thought played poorly...not that Garappolo was doing that much better.

This week against the Rams is critical. They're smarting from a butt whipping by the suddenly division leading Cards so they're going to be ready to rumble. We win, and we're right back in the thick of things. Lose and we're 3 games back of the Cards, two back of the Rams, making another post season appearance problematic.

[HawkDawg]

Still trying to decide if the game changer was Garappolo going out, or halftime adjustments. I want to think the latter, but our team is making me nervous. Worst first half yet, glad for the win. Hopefully they learned something today.

[RiverDog]

Still trying to decide if the game changer was Garappolo going out, or halftime adjustments. I want to think the latter, but our team is making me nervous. Worst first half yet, glad for the win. Hopefully they learned something today.

Emotionally the defense really needed this one. They've been literally roasted on social media and on forums like this one. Hopefully this helps mend some of the wounds caused by their performance in the past two games.

Nice thing about it is that we're only going to have to wait 4 days to find out whether today was the start of a trend or just another example of fool's gold.

[HawkDawg]

Agreed!

[RiverDog]

A win is a win and I'll take one anyway we can get it, but we're still far from where we want to be.

The glass half empty look was ugly. The first 25 minutes of offense was amongst the worst we've had in franchise history. The only thing we didn't do was turn the ball over. 5 straight 3 and outs. Negative total yardage. We benefited from a very short field when our special teams came up with an unforced red zone turnover at the Niner's 14. Their starting quarterback left the game in the first half and never returned, leaving a tie game to a rookie that saw the first sustained play of his career in a regular season game. Their place kicker was a late scratch, leaving his duties to the punter and forcing a backup fullback to hold for him. The Niners ran up twice the total yardage that we did. Our running game was almost non existent, barely breaking 100 yards, thanks to a Russell Wilson scramble. No passing plays over 30 yards.

But on the other hand, our defense kept the pressure on the rookie QB, keeping him off balance and contributed to his indecisiveness. They got off the field, holding the Niners to just 2-14 on third downs. Despite the 5 three and outs, our much talked about TOP was virtually even. A lot of the surrendered yardage was in garbage time when we had a two TD lead and another when we had a huge breakdown and allowed a 76 yard touchdown. We didn't shoot ourselves in the foot by commuting drive extending penalties. It was our best defensive effort since the opener. Alex Collins gave us some nice change of pace running. Special teams played well. We were 4-4 in the red zone. No turnovers or major penalties that put the defense in a bad spot.

The glass half full wins out over the empty half...this time.

This game hasn't turned our season around, but it does keep us relevant. Thursday's game with the Rams is huge. We win it and we're right back in the thick of things. Lose it and we're 3 games in the loss column behind the Cards and 2 behind the Rams, making our chances of getting to the post season a long shot.

[NorthHawk]

A win's a win!
Even though we started like we finished in Minnesota, somehow the Offense got it turned around. Alex Collins was a nice complement to Carson
and gives him some needed rest along with not taking a beating every game. This tandem could work out pretty well. The OL needs some work
with the injuries we have, but maybe Waldron is figuring out how to mask the inefficiencies. I'm hoping we can put together a full game at some
point, but the Cards look legit from what I've seen of them. We'll see how the Rams respond after losing at home. Stafford's not Garopolo or Lance
so we should get pressure from their Offense all game long.

[RiverDog]

Alex Collins was a nice complement to Carson and gives him some needed rest along with not taking a beating every game. This tandem could work out pretty well.

Collins emergence as our change of pace running back renders Rashaad Penny irrelevant. It's about time to call him a bust.

Stafford's not Garopolo or Lance so we should get pressure from their Offense all game long.

I'm not sure what it is about Garappolo that makes him more difficult to handle than Stafford. It's not like he's a statue in the pocket. He's an experienced, veteran quarterback that IMO is head and shoulders above what the Niners threw at us yesterday and he'll be pitching to some pretty fair weapons. Some of our most embarrassing games in franchise history have come against the Rams on our home field. It will be a good test for our resurgent defense.

[NorthHawk]

I'm not sure I would call our Defense resurgent, rather I think it was an issue of lesser QB play from the 49ers.
I think Stafford is far superior to either of the SF QB's so it might be a tough night.
On a side note, I wonder if Shanahan is regretting not selecting Mac Jones instead of Lance.

[Hawktawk]

The Rams got knocked down a leg by the only remaining unbeaten team Arizona . Beat down . So they will have their own mental issues to deal with . Looking around the league Tennessee gave up
A 2 score lead to lose to the jets . So far throughout the league there are a couple powerhouses and the rest looks like a lot of parity . I feel better about this team and also the qb. First half he was horrible , second half was the best he’s looked in a second half of a game in a while . A win Thursday against a mortal Rams team and the Hawks are right back in the mix .

[RiverDog]

I'm not sure I would call our Defense resurgent, rather I think it was an issue of lesser QB play from the 49ers.
I think Stafford is far superior to either of the SF QB's so it might be a tough night.
On a side note, I wonder if Shanahan is regretting not selecting Mac Jones instead of Lance.

My resurgent comment is relative to the worst defense in football, and you're right, it has to be framed by the poor QB play from the opposition. But they really needed this game as it gives them a little boost of adrenaline.

As far as Shanny having buyer's remorse, I doubt that he's second guessing his decision yet. That was Lance's first game experience at the NFL level. Besides, Jones isn't exactly lighting the league on fire as he's currently 1-3 with a QBR of 48.3, ranking him in the bottom third of starting QB's by that measure.

[tarlhawk]

Hmmm not sure where my latest post disappeared (Take Two)

I enjoyed a lot of what I saw in the game! I thought Diggs interception during the Niners mid-drive of their 2nd possession was a game changer (even without resulting in scoring any points). As for Alex Collins being an offensive catalyst :

No one was happier to see us resign Alex Collins on 11/4/20 for our practice squad. His practice squad contract expired 1/18/21 and he was signed 2/24/21. His background?
Illustrious college career...splitting time his Fr and So years for Arkansas he still had back to back 1000 yd+ seasons (Fr 5.4 avg 1026 Yds 4 TD / So 5.4 avg 1100 Yds 12 TD) For his play he was named the 2013 SEC Freshman of the Year and in his final college year as a Jr ( 5.8 avg 1577 Yds 20 TD) he was full time starter as the RB he had been splitting time with got injured.
Collins became only the third player in SEC history to rush for 1,000 plus yards in three seasons, joining Herschel Walker and Darren McFadden. He also was a semi-finalist for Doak Award as best runner in College his Jr. year. Some other semi-finalists: Dalvin Cook (Fla State) Leonard Fournette (LSU) Derrick Henry (Alabama) Ezekiel Elliott (Ohio State) Christian McCaffrey (Stanford) and C.J. Procise (Notre Dame -taken in 3rd round by us of same draft (2016) as Collins (5th Rd).
Pre-draft measurables HT: 5' 10" WT: 217 40 yd dash: 4.59 sec Bench Press: 18 Reps Arm length : 30 1/4" and Hand width: 9 1/4". Collins as our 5th rd selection in 2016 draft was the 13th RB drafted.
Signed rookie contract 5/6/16 (4yrs 2.2 Million w/ 184,000 signing bonus) He finished camp as our #4 RB behind Christian Michaels/Thomas Rawls/CJ Procise...saw limited play. With no clear role in 2017 (Eddie Lacy/Thomas Rawls/CJ Procise) he was waived 9/2/17.
Glad to have him back!!

[NorthHawk]

He must have got some good coaching in Baltimore as he's a changed RB since then.
Sometimes it's just a matter of one coach who gets through to a player in a way previous coaches didn't.
As well, he got a chance to contribute there so it might have been a confidence or maturity thing.

[Hawktawk]

I thought Collins showed flashes in Seattle and frankly it was a mistake to ever let him leave in hindsight considering all the injuries and problems we had at the position . He was a big difference maker yesterday and the flip was awesome just demonstrated what a great athlete he is . As opposed to Tarihawks take on diggs pick I thought it was a very demoralizing sequence for both our units and was really upset Russ took a sack there . I saw it as another thing we overcame in a weird game . I think we learned we are not dead yet and we silll learn a lot more Thursday . It looked like the end of an era the last 2.5 games but maybe they flipped a switch .

[RiverDog]

I really like Alex Collins and feel that he's an excellent change of pace from the running style Chris Carson used. Collins has that jump cut that defenders don't see from Carson. I like him better than I do a healthy Rashaad Penny.

I didn't see the Diggs pick as a morale boost, either. To the contrary, the way the offense responded, by moving backwards and out of scoring position then punting the ball back in just 3 plays, had to have been discouraging for them.

[c_hawkbob]

He must have got some good coaching in Baltimore as he's a changed RB since then.
Sometimes it's just a matter of one coach who gets through to a player in a way previous coaches didn't.
As well, he got a chance to contribute there so it might have been a confidence or maturity thing.

Pete says it's a weight thing. He came out of college thinking he had to put on weight to withstand the pounding he'd take in the NFL and the extra weight just didn't work well with him. He lost the weight in Baltimore and came back to us closer the weight he was in college when we liked him in the first place.

He never was a Marshawn Lynch, and he needn't have tried to be.

[Hawktawk]

Looks like he ran 459 at the combine . He looks quicker than a 4.6 guy now

[Aseahawkfan]

Still trying to decide if the game changer was Garappolo going out, or halftime adjustments. I want to think the latter, but our team is making me nervous. Worst first half yet, glad for the win. Hopefully they learned something today.

We'll see if this is the usual feast on weak QBs like we saw last year as they get a good QB coming up Thursday.

[tarlhawk]

I really like Alex Collins and feel that he's an excellent change of pace from the running style Chris Carson used. Collins has that jump cut that defenders don't see from Carson. I like him better than I do a healthy Rashaad Penny.

I didn't see the Diggs pick as a morale boost, either. To the contrary, the way the offense responded, by moving backwards and out of scoring position then punting the ball back in just 3 plays, had to have been discouraging for them.

My use of the Diggs pick as an energizer was based on listening to player interviews after the game...the play was mentioned as a pick-me-up not for the results but for morale...Up to that pick the Defense and the Offense looked like a repeat of failures from recent games lost was rearing its ugly head. The Niners were driving on second possession...then boom the wheel came off! No more drives with impunity...some air got let out...niners didn't recapture that momentum! Duane Brown gave a good clue as to the disastrous start of the offense...he said early on the line had difficulty communicating. He wasn't very specific beyond that...usually the center is tasked with (and has the broader view) recognizing the particular defensive line alignments and relays that along the line as the QB comes up under center. Fuller has a good skill set...but experience at starting and recognizing what some of the better def lines are trying to accomplish gives a huge boost. Ethan Pocic was re-signed for 1 yr to bridge us to a new center perhaps (and beyond if he played well) but while injured its "next man up"

[tarlhawk]

Looks like he ran 459 at the combine . He looks quicker than a 4.6 guy now

pre-draft PFF and Sport Illustrated projected him to be the 5th RB off the board...but he had a bad day at the combine (He elected not to do the cone drill or shuttle run due to having a headache) His stock dropped...and we benefited as he fell out of the expected 3rd round and into the 5th round...to us!

[tarlhawk]

Another guy I'm high on (thought I saw him in Niner game) is Colby Parkinson. Checking NFL.com Draft/Combine site:

Measurables : HT: 6' 7" WT: 252 lbs Arm length: 33 1/4" Hand width: 9 5/8"
40 time: 4.77 sec Bench Press: 18 Vert. jump: 32.5" Broad jump: 109
Cone drill: 7.15 20yd Shuttle run: 4.46
Overview
He'll be listed as a tight end, but he's a big receiver who can be released into routes as a wingback, slot or wideout. He was much more productive in the red zone in 2018, but he didn't always have functional throws to work with. He runs well for a pass-catching tight end and has the athletic traits to attack on all three levels. He's almost automatic on the easy catches and has ball skills to rescue some of the harder ones. Teams looking for him to check the run-blocking box will need to keep it moving. Parkinson may be a little polarizing, but appears to be a field-stretching flex tight end with above-average playmaking ability down the field and near the goal line.
Strengths

Height and length create matchup issues in the red area
Can release into routes from a variety of alignments
Strides into routes like a big receiver
Capable of attacking all three levels effectively
Crisp breaks with tight turns underneath
Can create route leverage and defeat coverage leverage
Able to extend the high-point and play over safeties
Plucks it away from body to protect it from hand rakes
Good focus to make the challenging catch
Body control for necessary adjustments downfield

Weaknesses

Carries thin limbs on a lean frame
Role is a little limited as a big slot
Not a very fiery competitor as a run blocker
Doesn't do much with his block once he gets it centered
Leverage is usually missing at the point of attack
Inconsistent dealing with contested catches
Allowed safeties to body and annoy him at times
Red-zone release was too predictable in 2019

Hope he stays healthy and becomes another Red Zone Assassin!

[Hawktawk]

He was definitely in the game but didn’t see much . I know PC was super effusive praising him in camp so
Let’s see.

[RiverDog]

When I first saw Parkinson in the game, I thought I was looking at Luke Willson.

I haven't seen much of Parkinson, but he can't be any better than Will Dissly, whom I really like both as a pass catcher and a blocker. There for awhile, it seemed as if we had an infatuation with tight ends, signing high priced free agents (Greg Olson) and spending multiple draft picks on them (Parkinson and Dissly). Wladron doesn't seem to utilize them as much as Schotty did. That's not necessarily a complaint, just an observation.