Trade K9?

[River Dog]

Kenneth Walker, when healthy, has been IMO one of the top backs in the league. The problem is that like his predecessor, Rashaad Penny, he has trouble staying on the field and indeed has been nursing a sore foot during this season's TC. He has yet to see a snap in preseason. In contrast, his backup Zach Charbonnet, in his two seasons with the Hawks, has missed just one game due to injury, had a solid season last year, and has been lights out in the preseason. George Holani has looked really good, too, as has Damien Martinez. And that's not considering Kenny McIntosh, who sustained a torn ACL and was put on IR.

This is K9's contract year. He's a RFA at the end of the season. So, one has to ask whether it would be wise to seek a trade.

I say yes. Even healthy running backs have a short career compared to other positions. Let's get what we can for him.

[NorthHawk]

Maybe to Cincy as part of a package for Hendrickson who the Bengals are said to now be listening to offers.

[Stream Hawk]

No way. Well, at least no way for a late round draft pick. They’re just being careful with him in preseason, and I think he will go nuts in the Kubiak system in the reg season. As someone on .net said, you can’t ever have too many RBs. Remember 2019? Also even 2015 where we lose our top RBs then become very 1 dimensional. I see K9’s ceiling as much higher than Charb’s. And I like Charb. We need that 1-2 punch to thrive in this system.

[River Dog]

No way. Well, at least no way for a late round draft pick. They’re just being careful with him in preseason, and I think he will go nuts in the Kubiak system in the reg season. As someone on .net said, you can’t ever have too many RBs. Remember 2019? Also even 2015 where we lose our top RBs then become very 1 dimensional. I see K9’s ceiling as much higher than Charb’s. And I like Charb. We need that 1-2 punch to thrive in this system.

I wouldn't trade him for a late round draft pick, either. But the fact is that he's often injured and is in the final year of his contract. There's no way in hell that Cincy would give up Hendrickson for K9 straight across, but I'd damn sure listen to what they had to offer. You're talking about one of the best pass rushers in the league, and if we're willing to pay him what he wants, he could be the missing link to what could be another LOB defense.

[River Dog]

Maybe to Cincy as part of a package for Hendrickson who the Bengals are said to now be listening to offers.

If we could get Hendrickson, our defense could make a huge leap. But he won't come cheap.

[Oly]

Good question, RD. I just happened to be thinking about this today, as well.

I do think the Hawks have a surplus of RB talent, and when K9 is healthy he, Charbs, and Holani might be the deepest group in the league. For a run-first system, that's ideal and I would hate to kneecap the run game through a trade.

However, if Martinez is close to Holani level already, then I think the FO would have to listen to offers. I doubt that they get any offers that are commensurate with his value to the Hawks this year and I wouldn't trade him just because they have a deep squad. That would change considerably though if he made the Hendrickson trade more doable.

[curmudgeon]

Do it. Now is the time……

[4XPIPS]

No! Do not trade K9 while we have him cheap. He isn't costing us much, and the return for him would not be worth it. I think he will do well this season for us, but I do I think he plays a full season, I would say not. He probably plays 14 games tops this season, but we could use him for a deep playoff run.

[Aseahawkfan]

Would anyone even give much for K9 in his contract year with injury issues? I say keep him, see how we're doing midseason, and if K9 raises his value by performing well, see if we can force higher value out of a contending team that needs a good runner. Get someone to overpay.

[River Dog]

Would anyone even give much for K9 in his contract year with injury issues? I say keep him, see how we're doing midseason, and if K9 raises his value by performing well, see if we can force higher value out of a contending team that needs a good runner. Get someone to overpay.

I doubt that we could get more than a mid round draft pick for him straight across. But if we were to package it, we might be able to get a starting quality player who could contribute immediately. I'm beginning to get the feel that this team is a player or two away from being a legitimate contender, and a player like Hendrickson or Micha Parsons, who is also in a contract dispute with the Cowboys, could put us over the hump.

There's a couple of problems with waiting. For one, Hendrickson and Parsons most likely will be off the market. Secondly, there is a trading deadline in mid-season after which we're stuck with him, and thirdly, you're risking Walker sustaining yet another injury. He's currently being limited in practice due to a sore foot.

If we're going to trade him, I say do it now. Use him as a deal sweetener to get one of those elite pass rushers on our defense. If Schneider can pull off a trade to bring in Hendrickson or Parsons and not sell the farm in doing so, I'll have to set aside my doubts about him as our GM.

[NorthHawk]

Hendrickson is 31 I believe and would only get about a 3 year contract but at top dollar. The Seahawk Cap space next year is supposed to be around $65M so going forward we could structure Hendrickson's contract such that he gets paid and we get some protection for future years. We also have to re-sign a couple of our own players like Cross (if he stands out this year), Witherspoon, and JSN a year later. But it can be done.

[River Dog]

Hendrickson is 31 I believe and would only get about a 3 year contract but at top dollar. The Seahawk Cap space next year is supposed to be around $65M so going forward we could structure Hendrickson's contract such that he gets paid and we get some protection for future years. We also have to re-sign a couple of our own players like Cross (if he stands out this year), Witherspoon, and JSN a year later. But it can be done.

The other possibility is Micha Parsons, who is only 26. Hendrickson would be more of a win-now trade, and as you alluded to, might come a little cheaper.

[NorthHawk]

I've heard people talk about Parsons becoming the highest paid non QB in the league and that about $45M would be the range because of his youth relative to TJ Watt and Garrett along with his potential.
From a talent basis, he would be a real game wrecker in a MacDonald Defense, but the cost of getting Parsons would be huge. Maybe the biggest trade compensation ever.

[River Dog]

I've heard people talk about Parsons becoming the highest paid non QB in the league and that about $45M would be the range because of his youth relative to TJ Watt and Garrett along with his potential.
From a talent basis, he would be a real game wrecker in a MacDonald Defense, but the cost of getting Parsons would be huge. Maybe the biggest trade compensation ever.

With his contract demands, he's going to price a lot of teams out of the market, so the trade compensation might not be biggest ever. But it's obviously going to require multiple first round picks plus.

[Aseahawkfan]

I doubt that we could get more than a mid round draft pick for him straight across. But if we were to package it, we might be able to get a starting quality player who could contribute immediately. I'm beginning to get the feel that this team is a player or two away from being a legitimate contender, and a player like Hendrickson or Micha Parsons, who is also in a contract dispute with the Cowboys, could put us over the hump.

There's a couple of problems with waiting. For one, Hendrickson and Parsons most likely will be off the market. Secondly, there is a trading deadline in mid-season after which we're stuck with him, and thirdly, you're risking Walker sustaining yet another injury. He's currently being limited in practice due to a sore foot.

If we're going to trade him, I say do it now. Use him as a deal sweetener to get one of those elite pass rushers on our defense. If Schneider can pull off a trade to bring in Hendrickson or Parsons and not sell the farm in doing so, I'll have to set aside my doubts about him as our GM.

What? This team is not a player or two away from contending. That is wishful thinking. I can't think of anywhere we're solid right now, not a single position. This team is still two or more drafts from contention and definitely a QB away from it with this unproven lot.

You are drinking some serious pre-season Kool-aid.

[River Dog]

I doubt that we could get more than a mid round draft pick for him straight across. But if we were to package it, we might be able to get a starting quality player who could contribute immediately. I'm beginning to get the feel that this team is a player or two away from being a legitimate contender, and a player like Hendrickson or Micha Parsons, who is also in a contract dispute with the Cowboys, could put us over the hump.

There's a couple of problems with waiting. For one, Hendrickson and Parsons most likely will be off the market. Secondly, there is a trading deadline in mid-season after which we're stuck with him, and thirdly, you're risking Walker sustaining yet another injury. He's currently being limited in practice due to a sore foot.

If we're going to trade him, I say do it now. Use him as a deal sweetener to get one of those elite pass rushers on our defense. If Schneider can pull off a trade to bring in Hendrickson or Parsons and not sell the farm in doing so, I'll have to set aside my doubts about him as our GM.

What? This team is not a player or two away from contending. That is wishful thinking. I can't think of anywhere we're solid right now, not a single position. This team is still two or more drafts from contention and definitely a QB away from it with this unproven lot.

You are drinking some serious pre-season Kool-aid.

I said that I was beginning to get the feeling that we're one or two players away, but yeah, I'm uncharacteristically optimistic. I haven't felt this way in years.

[Aseahawkfan]

I said that I was beginning to get the feeling that we're one or two players away, but yeah, I'm uncharacteristically optimistic. I haven't felt this way in years.

I feel the opposite or rather I feel like the Seahawks won't contend again until they are sold to a new owner that will make contention a priority using proven methods for contention.

The team looks lacking in any superstars, especially at the QB position. I'm waiting to see how JSN does with no help at the WR position like D.K. and Lockett. LBs are still weak. No high end pass rushers. Run game was still lacking last year. None of our QBs are proven. Our defense was ok last year, not great. 14th yard allowed and 12th points allowed.

I don't see it. Doesn't feel like when Pete Carroll arrived and was building a monster at all. Feels like nothing to me. The players aren't exciting to me. No one has become big time. We have a lot of holes.

At the moment, I'm not excited. Another building year where we watch middling QBs try to contend against high end QBs with a bunch of players still trying to prove themselves. There's no Kam. No Sherm. No Earl. No moves made to pick up a Cliff Avril and especially no Russell. I don't see much magic happening.

I hope they change my mind.

[NorthHawk]

I think we’re pretty close on Defense and maybe this being the 2nd year under Macdonald the Defense can step up early.
They were pretty good the last part of the season after signing Earnest Jones IV so they start the year with a higher floor.
The Offense needs to show they are much improved but they look a lot more organized and the OL looks like it’s working together much better. We’ll see if that continues into the regular season.

[River Dog]

I said that I was beginning to get the feeling that we're one or two players away, but yeah, I'm uncharacteristically optimistic. I haven't felt this way in years.

I feel the opposite or rather I feel like the Seahawks won't contend again until they are sold to a new owner that will make contention a priority using proven methods for contention.

The team looks lacking in any superstars, especially at the QB position. I'm waiting to see how JSN does with no help at the WR position like D.K. and Lockett. LBs are still weak. No high end pass rushers. Run game was still lacking last year. None of our QBs are proven. Our defense was ok last year, not great. 14th yard allowed and 12th points allowed.

I don't see it. Doesn't feel like when Pete Carroll arrived and was building a monster at all. Feels like nothing to me. The players aren't exciting to me. No one has become big time. We have a lot of holes.

At the moment, I'm not excited. Another building year where we watch middling QBs try to contend against high end QBs with a bunch of players still trying to prove themselves. There's no Kam. No Sherm. No Earl. No moves made to pick up a Cliff Avril and especially no Russell. I don't see much magic happening.

I hope they change my mind.

What superstar quarterback did the Eagles have? Jalen Hurts? He ranked 20th in the league in passing yards. I wouldn't call Brock Purdy a superstar quarterback, yet two years ago, he took his team to a Super Bowl and nearly won a Lombardi.

We'll see how Darnold pans out. He had what was by far the best season of his career last year, so maybe he's turned a corner. Besides, this team looks to run the ball more than in past seasons, so the quarterback isn't going to have to carry this team.

I'm not stupid enough to rely solely on our preseason performance as a means for my optimism. Maybe it's the new coaching staff, that this isn't Pete Carroll's show anymore. Maybe it's that I just got tired of being a constant pessimist. I just feel like this season is going to be different, that we'll be legitimate contenders.

[NorthHawk]

Most of the media is from the East and they don't care to know what's going on outside their sphere other than big names. So when DK was traded and Geno dealt to LV, all they see are to voids on Offense in Seattle before going back to endlessly repeating themselves about the Cowboys or other other mindless drivel about NFC/AFC East teams.

I think we might be seriously undervalued by most and could very well surprise many with a much better season than expected.

[River Dog]

Most of the media is from the East and they don't care to know what's going on outside their sphere other than big names. So when DK was traded and Geno dealt to LV, all they see are to voids on Offense in Seattle before going back to endlessly repeating themselves about the Cowboys or other other mindless drivel about NFC/AFC East teams.

I think we might be seriously undervalued by most and could very well surprise many with a much better season than expected.

Those guys aren't true analysts in that their primary job is to sell advertising, and the best way to do that is to write articles that appeal to the broadest number of readers, i.e. the big fan bases.

We'll see how it goes. ASF could be right, that we're looking at Fool's Gold. I've honestly seen just bits and pieces of the two preseason games, so I'm not overly influenced by our performances. I'll probably pay a little more attention to this last game as it's coming on the air at a more convenient time for me.

[NorthHawk]

I'm pretty sure the Defense will be pretty good, but I do have concerns about depth at LB. MacDonald has shown the ability to work around personnel challenges so I'm cautiously hopeful that trend will continue.
I really like how the Offense looks. Regardless of the big plays and TDs, the whole Offense looks much more in sync and the OL playing as a unit. We haven't seen that around here for a long time - maybe since Holmgren so it's really refreshing to me to see things start to improve schematically and organizationally on the field if not yet productively (the real season will tell the tale).

Adding to that we play the expected weaker Divisions from the other NFC and AFC divisions, so I am hopeful we can improve our record over last year.

[River Dog]

I read a good article that I'd like to pass along which describes what I've been claiming, that Charbonnet is a better fit for this offense than K9:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/nfl/seat ... gEA86fALgw

[NorthHawk]

I read a good article that I'd like to pass along which describes what I've been claiming, that Charbonnet is a better fit for this offense than K9:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/nfl/seat ... gEA86fALgw

I said last year and still think Walker would do well in an I formation backfield where he gets more time to see the LoS and where the hole will be along with getting him a head of steam to hit that hole.
In one of the games we showed it a couple of times, but the point they are making about Charbonnet being a better fit might be right because he doesn't hunt the line looking for an opening and he's big enough that if a smaller crease opens he has the power to push through it better than Walker.

[Oly]

I read a good article that I'd like to pass along which describes what I've been claiming, that Charbonnet is a better fit for this offense than K9:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/nfl/seat ... gEA86fALgw

I said last year and still think Walker would do well in an I formation backfield where he gets more time to see the LoS and where the hole will be along with getting him a head of steam to hit that hole.
In one of the games we showed it a couple of times, but the point they are making about Charbonnet being a better fit might be right because he doesn't hunt the line looking for an opening and he's big enough that if a smaller crease opens he has the power to push through it better than Walker.

I seem to remember watching a film breakdown of K9 a year or so ago where they used All 22 to show how frequently he misread the blocks and/or defense in the second level and made the objectively wrong cut. The videos was very laudatory of his physical abilities and said that if he just learned to read the field a little better he could be an All Pro but he wasn't there yet. That analysis, plus what I've seen of Charbs, fits the argument in that video. I can't help thinking that if K9 had been healthier and gotten more reps that he could have developed that vision. Maybe he still can. We'll see if that happens before Charbs claims the starter job, because right now I agree he looks like the more productive back in this system.

[Aseahawkfan]

What superstar quarterback did the Eagles have? Jalen Hurts? He ranked 20th in the league in passing yards. I wouldn't call Brock Purdy a superstar quarterback, yet two years ago, he took his team to a Super Bowl and nearly won a Lombardi.

We'll see how Darnold pans out. He had what was by far the best season of his career last year, so maybe he's turned a corner. Besides, this team looks to run the ball more than in past seasons, so the quarterback isn't going to have to carry this team.

I'm not stupid enough to rely solely on our preseason performance as a means for my optimism. Maybe it's the new coaching staff, that this isn't Pete Carroll's show anymore. Maybe it's that I just got tired of being a constant pessimist. I just feel like this season is going to be different, that we'll be legitimate contenders.

You seem hyped on the preseason.

Eagles are stacked at other positions. Jalen Hurts has a special talent for running the ball and operating that offense. They have one of the strongest defenses and O-lines in the game. Eagles had the number one defense in the NFL in 2024 for yards allowed and number two points allowed.

Now we're back to the Brock Purdy argument even thought that SF team was stacked. Deebo, McCaffery, Bosa, their star LB Fred Warner, Kittle, Trent Williams, and so on. That SF team is absolutely stacked with superstar talent and yet couldn't win a Super Bowl with Brock Purdy.

Who are our superstars on the Seahawks? Who we got that stacks up to the Eagles or Chiefs or Baltimore or any of the real contenders? We are not stacked like any of the contenders, which is why I'm wondering why you're saying we're a player or two away.

[4XPIPS]

You seem hyped on the preseason.

Eagles are stacked at other positions. Jalen Hurts has a special talent for running the ball and operating that offense. They have one of the strongest defenses and O-lines in the game. Eagles had the number one defense in the NFL in 2024 for yards allowed and number two points allowed.

Now we're back to the Brock Purdy argument even thought that SF team was stacked. Deebo, McCaffery, Bosa, their star LB Fred Warner, Kittle, Trent Williams, and so on. That SF team is absolutely stacked with superstar talent and yet couldn't win a Super Bowl with Brock Purdy.

Who are our superstars on the Seahawks? Who we got that stacks up to the Eagles or Chiefs or Baltimore or any of the real contenders? We are not stacked like any of the contenders, which is why I'm wondering why you're saying we're a player or two away.

I don't think we are contenders with this current roster, but I believe we are heading in the right direction. There is no question that Sam Darnold isn't a franchise QB. I am still iffy on signing him. At times, he looks elite, but then there are times when you are scratching your head, wondering what he is doing out there. I mean, he just played in an offense that had one of, if not the best, WR in the league with an excellent pass-catching TE. It will be interesting to see if he can elevate his play this season without the best WR in the league.

I do think the run game is something to get excited about, and we have gotten younger at certain position groups, and given time we can hopefully develop them into star players. The only group where I think we have not gotten better at and still lack quality play is our edge rushing. Byron Murphy needs to step up this year to warrant this 1st round selection and be the dominant inside force.

I am optimistic we will be better than most teams, just maybe above the middle of the pack but not in the top 5 for sure.

[NorthHawk]

I don't expect to be SB contenders, either but I do want to see progress. Last year we saw the Defense play pretty well at the end of the year and the team almost made the playoffs even with an Offense that was a mess.
This year the Offense looks much more potent even without DK and so far in the pre-season looks like it's playing much more like a unit and not just a collection of players.
So, given the weaker schedule based on last years records, it's quite possible to make the playoffs and maybe knock another team out of them, but I doubt we get past the 2nd round if we do win the first game.

But we will see how far the team has progressed when the season starts and how much quality depth it has as the season unfolds.

[4XPIPS]

I don't expect to be SB contenders, either but I do want to see progress. Last year we saw the Defense play pretty well at the end of the year and the team almost made the playoffs even with an Offense that was a mess.
This year the Offense looks much more potent even without DK and so far in the pre-season looks like it's playing much more like a unit and not just a collection of players.
So, given the weaker schedule based on last years records, it's quite possible to make the playoffs and maybe knock another team out of them, but I doubt we get past the 2nd round if we do win the first game.

But we will see how far the team has progressed when the season starts and how much quality depth it has as the season unfolds.

Not to mention, we tied the Rams for the Division, had the same division record, and just missed the playoffs with a better points-for and points-against record than the Rams. Who knows, one extra conference win and we would have won the division, probably would have lost first round. Defense did play better down the stretch, and JSN picked it up and became the primary target latter half of the season. After the Bye, we were 6-2, closing the season out strong. That Vikings lost two days before Christmas would have been huge for us, but we got a better draft position, and we are onto this season.

I am with you, that I want to see improvement. I would not be surprised if we get 11 to 12 wins this season, as it looks like our OL is shaping up to be better than it has been in recent memory, and our defense is getting the pieces it needs to be a dynamic defense. I still think we lack an edge rusher who can wreck a game. With Stafford's back issues, and the Rams losing Kupp, I think the Rams are in a reset mode. The Cardinals are playing fool's games with Kyler Murray, as many know, especially within the Arizona Sports Market, that he is not the answer. He is like Trevor Lawrence; he is way overpaid and overhyped, but has not put up the numbers or elevated his team to the next level. This is the year that Kyler needs to prove he is worth the contract money they gave him; otherwise, Michael Bidwell is going to pressure the team to move on from him, as he has way underachieved at this point. The 49ers dumped money into Brock, as he deserved his money, but it was a firesale of talent on their team. I think the 49ers missed their window to capitalize on Brock's rookie contract. The 49ers will still be tough, but we went into their stadium with Geno last season and beat them. So I can see us taking the division, but I still feel like we are far from the Lions, Packers, and Eagles as for being elite.

My biggest leap I want to see us protect our homefield advantage. We did so well on the road, but were atrocious at home. We should never have a losing record at the Clink, so if we can captilize on that and stay healthy, I can see us winning the division with 12 wins.

[Aseahawkfan]

The division is weak right now. We could win the division. I don't consider making the playoffs a contender. If you're not consistently making it to the Conference Championship or playing the conference champions in close games, you're not contending. You're one of those 14 of 32 teams punching a ticket in a weak division acting as filler game for real contenders.

Some of these drafted players need to become superstars like Earl and Sherm and Marshawn and Russell did when we were contending. Teams that contend have superstar players that are amongst the best in the league. I don't see that in Seattle yet.

The last years of Carroll were getting hyped over these drafts built up by local media coverage that turned out to be not very good drafts. Our GM wasn't drafting superstars at all. It was why we weren't contending.

If Schneider's drafts don't start showing up on the field, the man has to go. Local media talking up players that don't rate on the national level with performance or amongst the top in the league means we're overhyping average to good players that aren't real contending superstars. That gets old as it did in the latter years of Carroll.

I still remember listening to local media talking up Geno like he was a real contending QB. He wasn't. He wasn't ever gonna be. I know their job is to get the fans hyped for the season believing they got a chance, but most people who are realists about the NFL knew Geno wasn't ever contending for a Lombardi unless they built the Legion of Boom again and even then, only maybe. At least I never have to compare a great defense to any other team because we had our legendary defense in Seattle. That will always be my barometer for greatness from now on.

I want to see some players like we had during that era. Beastmode, Sherm, Earl, Bam Bam, and Russell the Robot. That's when you know you're contending and your team is hot.

[River Dog]

The division is weak right now. We could win the division. I don't consider making the playoffs a contender. If you're not consistently making it to the Conference Championship or playing the conference champions in close games, you're not contending. You're one of those 14 of 32 teams punching a ticket in a weak division acting as filler game for real contenders.

Some of these drafted players need to become superstars like Earl and Sherm and Marshawn and Russell did when we were contending. Teams that contend have superstar players that are amongst the best in the league. I don't see that in Seattle yet.

The last years of Carroll were getting hyped over these drafts built up by local media coverage that turned out to be not very good drafts. Our GM wasn't drafting superstars at all. It was why we weren't contending.

If Schneider's drafts don't start showing up on the field, the man has to go. Local media talking up players that don't rate on the national level with performance or amongst the top in the league means we're overhyping average to good players that aren't real contending superstars. That gets old as it did in the latter years of Carroll.

I still remember listening to local media talking up Geno like he was a real contending QB. He wasn't. He wasn't ever gonna be. I know their job is to get the fans hyped for the season believing they got a chance, but most people who are realists about the NFL knew Geno wasn't ever contending for a Lombardi unless they built the Legion of Boom again and even then, only maybe. At least I never have to compare a great defense to any other team because we had our legendary defense in Seattle. That will always be my barometer for greatness from now on.

I want to see some players like we had during that era. Beastmode, Sherm, Earl, Bam Bam, and Russell the Robot. That's when you know you're contending, and your team is hot.

Yeah, as big as the playoffs are nowadays with 14 out of the 32 teams qualifying, simply making the playoffs doesn't make you a SB contender. IMO you have to at least make it past the first round where you're 1 out of 8 teams or in the top 25%. But I wouldn't necessarily demand that you regularly make it to the championship game in order to be considered a contender.

Agreed about Geno. The problem in Pete's last 6-8 seasons was that he was under the illusion that his team was just a player or two away from being a contender when the reality was that he was fielding very mediocre teams. Even in the 2020 season where we won our division with a very good 12-4 record, it was a case of Fool's Gold as we got routed in the wild card game at home by a team that we had beaten soundly just two weeks earlier. In particular, the Jamal Adams trade was one made by a HC and GM who thought that they were just one player away from being a legitimate contender.

Whether my optimism is unfounded or not is irrelevant. I can't help how I feel. I'm genuinely excited about this team.

[Aseahawkfan]

Yeah, as big as the playoffs are nowadays with 14 out of the 32 teams qualifying, simply making the playoffs doesn't make you a SB contender. IMO you have to at least make it past the first round where you're 1 out of 8 teams or in the top 25%. But I wouldn't necessarily demand that you regularly make it to the championship game in order to be considered a contender.

Agreed about Geno. The problem in Pete's last 6-8 seasons was that he was under the illusion that his team was just a player or two away from being a contender when the reality was that he was fielding very mediocre teams. Even in the 2020 season where we won our division with a very good 12-4 record, it was a case of Fool's Gold as we got routed in the wild card game at home by a team that we had beaten soundly just two weeks earlier. In particular, the Jamal Adams trade was one made by a HC and GM who thought that they were just one player away from being a legitimate contender.

Whether my optimism is unfounded or not is irrelevant. I can't help how I feel. I'm genuinely excited about this team.

That's more understandable. I always get excited at the start of football season. I'm always of two minds. The practical analyst in me that sees where we are. Then the fan creating "the maybe stories" of greatness that are low probability, but keep you excited to watch.

I do at least hope to see the defense get even better. And I am looking forward to see if Mike MacDonald allows for a more interesting offense than Pete allowed. I understood why Pete did what he did given the metrics he used to measure football. He was always heavily focused on the turnover ratio as a big determinant of win percentage. But focusing on turnovers really makes for a careful, often boring offense, especially if you don't have a QB like Prime Russell with great running ability.

I'm hoping Mike MacDonald lets the QB test the waters a little more to become better at passing. You don't get better at something unless you run the plays, some of them risky. If the QB can get good at executing some of the more complex passing schemes, we can push the defense deeper or spread them more. Russ's arm made the deep threat always present which stretched the defense vertically. Sometimes you can use complex pass plays to stretch the defense horizontally as well opening holes for the pass and run when your QB doesn't have as strong an arm. I hope we can do more of that. A more interesting offense with less predictability. Though I imagine it may be hard to do until we figure out who our new standout WRs are now as JSN will have the focus on him now.

[NorthHawk]

MacDonald said Milroe will play the entire final pre-season game on Saturday.
The Offense should be a lot better. It's in a way similar to Holmgren's Office with a major part of the WCO but updated with today's types of plays including more motion and more plays where the formation is the same but there are multiple plays off of it and some of where they have different formations but the same plays. It's not at all like the old Peteball Offenses we have seen for the last 14 years where they would line up and just try to out execute the opposing Defenses and they knew for a large part what was coming.

Not all of it is going to work, of course and we may still have a problem on short yardage because of the OL - but maybe the success rate will increase with Milroe under Center or the better blocking schemes.

[River Dog]

MacDonald said Milroe will play the entire final pre-season game on Saturday.
The Offense should be a lot better. It's in a way similar to Holmgren's Office with a major part of the WCO but updated with today's types of plays including more motion and more plays where the formation is the same but there are multiple plays off of it and some of where they have different formations but the same plays. It's not at all like the old Peteball Offenses we have seen for the last 14 years where they would line up and just try to out execute the opposing Defenses and they knew for a large part what was coming.

Not all of it is going to work, of course and we may still have a problem on short yardage because of the OL - but maybe the success rate will increase with Milroe under Center or the better blocking schemes.

Yeah, I expect us to use Milroe similar to how the Steelers used Justin Fields, bring him in on short yardage situations. It will give him an opportunity to contribute while not being under the pressure of a starting quarterback while he develops his passing skills, learns the offense/players/coaches, et al. It's a great opportunity for him as no one expects Darnold to be our long-term answer at QB.

[NorthHawk]

It's a good way for him to develop without the pressure of expectation that comes with being a high 1st round pick. Being that high a pick has done no favors for Richardson in Indianapolis and countless others before him in the NFL.

[Stream Hawk]

Bringing this back on the day Martinez is being cut. K9 is staying, and here's hoping he can be healthy. I would love a 1-2 punch with him and Charb. And I don't care who's the "starter" at that point.

[River Dog]

10 carries, 20 yards in the first game against the Niners. But wait! What about his receiving? 3 receptions, 4 yards. 24 yards in 13 touches.

Zach didn't have a great game, but he looked one helluva lot better than K9.

Anyone change their mind about trading him?

[4XPIPS]

10 carries, 20 yards in the first game against the Niners. But wait! What about his receiving? 3 receptions, 4 yards. 24 yards in 13 touches.

Zach didn't have a great game, but he looked one helluva lot better than K9.

Anyone change their mind about trading him?

It's a little too soon to pull the plug on him because we have seen him have good games. Yes, the production was very poor, but I am not ready to throw the towel in on him. I purely think this last game was on the OC. The play calls were way to conservative, and nothing out of tradition. Keep in mind, this is the real first action for K9 with this new offense and OC. I really feel like it was a preseason game on offense out there. Again, a lot of pundits are high and mighty on Klint(I have my concerns on this, but that is another topic), but we will have to see if he can be this "so-called Kyle Shannon guru type" but to be honest, just like Bumpus said, we were very predictable against a very stout defensive front.

Trading him now isn't going to be worth it and wouldn't help the team this season. There doesn't seem to be a top 10 team needing a tailback right now that had an injury and can make a run for the SB. I would say going forward 50/50 still with him and Zach, and let's see how this pans out. I don't think it's 100% on K9 on his performance, I think the OC game plan was too basic this first game.

[Aseahawkfan]

Trade K9 for what? A 7th round pick...maybe?

[Stream Hawk]

Give it a chance. He barely practiced all summer and Sunday was a mess. We are supposedly a running team, so not a good time to trade a good RB (Sunday notwithstanding).