SB Nation Seattle: All Posts by Danny Kelly

Seahawks sign WR Justin Veltung

2013-05-23T21:46:54Z

The Seahawks have signed 5'10, 183 lb WR Justin Veltung. The speedy receiver and kick returner shined (shone?) in the Rookie Mini-Camp a few weeks back and despite only catching six passes for 166 yards last season for the Idaho Vandals, impressed the coaching staff at the VMAC.

Per Eric Williams, Veltung caught the eye of Seahawks wide receivers coach Kippy Brown.

"He's a smart guy," Brown said. "He knows what to do. He doesn't make very many mistakes, and so far he's been real reliable catching the football. So we'll see."

Speed has never been an issue for the 5-10, 183-pound Veltung. He ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.46 seconds at his pro day. Veltung also finished as Idaho's all-time leader in kick return yardage (1,743), so he adds some versatility with his ability to return punts and kicks. "Obviously I'd like to get signed by the Hawks, and just become the best player I can, honestly," Veltung said. "And if I don't make it here, make it somewhere. But I'd love to make it here overall, with the hometown team."

I would assume, based on his college stats, that Veltung's specialty is in the kicking game so he'll get a long look in that role as well.

The Seahawks now have 13 receivers on their 90-man roster - Sidney Rice, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, Percy Harvin, Chris Harper, Stephen Williams, Charly Martin, Phil Bates, Jermaine Kearse, Brett Swain, Bryan Walters, and Matt Austin. That's a lot of receivers. The team hasn't announced any corresponding moves but if they do plan to also sign Jake Bscherer as well, someone will have to be released (Josh Portis getting waived had opened up a spot on the roster).

Here's his highlight vid from Idaho.

Also, here's another standing box jump video, because apparently they're all the rage these days.

Russell Wilson, quarterback: Collegiate High School

2013-05-23T20:25:39Z

Way back in 2007, "photography" technology was so basic that for football games to be recorded, the coaches and players all had to agree to run in severely-staggered stop-motion so the camera man could hold open the shutter just long enough to let the proper amount of light to hit the film, thus rendering an image. This process had to be repeated thousands upon thousands of times for a 'motion picture' to be assembled, but despite the hard, painstaking work that it took, for all parties, at that time in the history of the world, this feat was considered somewhat miraculous.

Getting a finished product to the consumer, however, required hours upon arduous hours of cutting and splicing individual photographs together and speeding them up...

Video: Throwback Thursday: Russell Wilson

Seahawks set to sign T/G Jake Bscherer, per reports

2013-05-23T18:53:55Z

The Seahawks have reportedly offered former University of Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin G/T Jake Bscherer a free-agent contract, and he'll be signed pending a physical. Bscherer and his complete disregard for normal vowel-consonant principles was one of Seattle's rookie mini-camp tryouts a few weeks back, and apparently impressed the coaching staff enough for another look.

Bscherer's path to the VMAC is an abnormal one. He was a blue chip out of high school in 2005 - a SuperPrep top-25, USA Today All-American, Wisconsin Gatorade High School Player of the Year and Rivals' No.4 OT in the nation - and landed at Wisconsin, the famed O-Line U. After spot-duty and special teams work his first two seasons, he redshirted in 2008 due to injury and in 2009 he saw action in 13 games for the Badgers, starting six of them at both left guard and right tackle, losing out in a competition with Gabe Carimi for the coveted left tackle spot.

He then took two years off from football, before returning for his final year of eligibility at UM-Duluth, a powerhouse D-II program. Now, at 25, the guard/tackle looks to extend his career into the pros, and hopefully the two years off, resting his body and getting back into shape, will pay off.

As for measureables, Bscherer compares favorably to 2nd overall pick Luke Joekel, so that's generally speaking a good thing. Bscherer measured 6063, 305 pounds with a 5.22 40 yard dash, a 4.60 short shuttle, and a 7.40 3-cone. Compare to 6'6, 305 pound Joekel, who ran a 5.25 40, registered a 4.68 short shuttle and a 7.40 3-cone. Does that make Bscherer ACTUALLY comparable to Joekel? Of course not. One was the 2nd overall pick and an elite tackle prospect and the other is a 25-year old undrafted free agent that played D-2 ball last year after taking two years off.

They're just similar athletes with strikingly similar size/speed numbers. Here's an hour and a half of scouting tape on Bscherer (#79) - if any of you actually watches this whole thing I'll just go ahead and give you Field Gulls.

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The one thing that does strike me about Bscherer is that he's fairly light on his feet. His forty isn't pretty, but his L-cone and short shuttle change-of-direction is pretty damn impressive, honestly, for a guy his size. He wastes almost no movement planting his foot and going the other direction, and though he's anything but fast in a straight line, that short area quickness is way more important for linemen anyway.

The term 'dancing bear' is thrown around for the elite tackles - humungous, agile offensive linemen and the key attribute they all share is good, quick feet. While I'm definitely not going to say Bscherer is a so-called dancing bear, I am going to link to this video of a bear fighting a guy, because talking about dancing bears reminded me of this and how much I loved this in high school or something:

For a little perspective on Bscherer's 3-cone and short shuttle times - it's worth noting that the 4.6 short shuttle would have been 6th amongst tackles in this year's class and his 3-cone of 7.4 would have been tied for 2nd best, behind only Lane Johnson and tied with Joekel. Bscherer may not be the elusive dancing bear but he's pretty damn athletic for a 6'6, 305 pound fella.

The team hasn't announced the signing quite yet but it's being reported in numerous spots that he'll be a Seahawk as soon as he passes a physical.

Percy Harvin, the running back

2013-05-23T16:45:43Z

Field Gulls' adopted favorite son Arif Hasan already broke down, in vivid detail, what Seattle may end up doing with the multi-tool known as Percy Harvin this season, so there's not a whole lot I am going to try to add, but Harvin himself recently answered a question that had been on my mind: whether or not he'll be used at running back from time to time.

Said Harvin, via Bob Condotta:

"I'll be moving around -- pretty much all around. There'll be a little bit of running back coming up. But right now, we're just trying to get the foundation set, just running the base plays, and we'll see where it goes from there."

'A little bit of running back coming up' is pretty vague but honestly it sounds about right, somehow. My guess is that they won't use him there frequently - when Darrell Bevell was calling the plays for Minnesota in 2009 and 2010, Harvin only 'rushed' the ball 33 times in 29 games. That number shot up after to 52 rushes in 2011 after Bevell left, so the thought of 'Harvin the running back' isn't necessarily linked to Bevell all that much. The question remains though, on just how much the Seahawks will want to use him in the backfield. They do, as we well know, have four, or even five capable running backs on their roster as it is.

The key to maximizing Harvin's toolset lies in matchups. As Arif mentioned to me on twitter recently - "one thing I forgot to add to Harvin article that I remembered after rewatching the early season games is that you [can] force nickel and dime [defenses] by huddling in an "02" or "01" package [ie, zero running-back personnel sets], motioning Harvin into backfield and running up the gut."

In layman's terms - force the defense to adjust to the personnel you have in the huddle. If Seattle runs onto the field with '02' or '01' personnel, that means you're seeing no backs, which, typically, means you're planning to pass the football. Defenses have to use deduction very frequently to try and get an edge - much like an MLB batter guessing which pitch he'll be receiving before the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

When a defensive coordinator sees '02' personnel in the huddle - two tight ends and three wide receivers along with Russell Wilson and the offensive line, or '01' personnel - four receivers, a tight end and Wilson - the likely response is to send out a nickel or dime package, replacing a linebacker (or two) with a defensive back(s), and in some cases, replacing another defensive tackle with a defensive back. Nickel/Dime is meant to combat the pass, and is inherently weaker against the run. This is because linebackers are better at taking on and shedding blocks (and tackling) than the little defensive backs are, typically (except for with the world's littlest linebacker, Antoine Winfield). It's simple physics.

So - if Seattle goes into huddle with Sidney Rice, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, and Percy Harvin, along with Zach Miller and Russell Wilson, a likely response from any defensive coordinator would be a nickel or dime package - four or five defensive backs match up with Seattle's four/five pass catchers. In some dime looks, teams swap out one of their defensive tackles, even. One thing the Seahawks could do in this situation would be, as Arif points out, is to run right at the defense's weakness up front - and Percy Harvin's versatility as a running back/wide receiver allows them to do that.

And it works the other way around as well - as Arif noted too, the Vikings 'have also lined him up in the backfield and motioned him out wide to reveal coverage, before motioning to slot." Again, it's all about matchups, and if you can ascertain what the defense is doing prior to snapping the football, you have a great advantage as the quarterback. Ask Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, two masters of the pre-snap phase.

Another way that Seattle could utilize Percy's versatility is in a hurry-up or no-huddle situation. I'll remind you that hurry-up and no-huddle are not necessarily the same thing: a no huddle strategy simply implies that you're not making substitutions on offense, and likewise the defense cannot substitute either. This ability to run with Harvin or pass with Harvin in the slot gives Seattle more multiplicity within their personnel groupings, meaning they can really dictate to the opposing defense what they want to do. If the opposing D is in a nickel or dime look, they'll run the football and pound it on the ground. If they're in a base look, that means Harvin is likely matched up on a safety or even better, a linebacker, and the Seahawks could look to exploit that matchup.

The point is - and Arif already explained this so really I'm just repeating it, because it's awesome - the point is, Percy Harvin is going to give Seattle's offense a whole new dimension, and it's likely that he'll make the guys around him better by facilitating one-on-one matchups elsewhere. Guys like Sidney Rice, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin will see isolation playcalls, because teams will have to pick their poison on who to focus on. This is a note that Darrell Bevell was hitting on recently in an interview - that each week they'll likely have a focus on different guys, depending on opposing teams' weaknesses. One week it'll be Percy, another it will be Golden, and another it will be Doug or Sidney. Another it will be Zach Miller - as we saw against Washington and Atlanta in the Playoffs.

Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Thursday

2013-05-23T11:00:08Z

Words make sentences sentences makes paragraphs.

The NFL's great Super Bowl swindle - SBNation.com
Does your city want to host the big game? Pay up.

Wherefore Art Thou Fullback?
When you think of the fullback in today’s game, you probably think of a player like Vonta Leach, widely regarded as the best blocking back in the NFL. There are also the H-Back/receiving fullback types, like Marcel Reece or James Casey, and the rushing fullbacks like Le’Ron McClain, Jacob Hester, and Mike Tolbert. And it’s the fullbacks who double as goal line threats like John Kuhn and Jed Collins who get the most attention from fantasy players. But the fullback position was not always so specialized.

Brandon Flowers: The Numbers, The Tape, The Verdict | Pre Snap Reads
After analysing the abilities of Darrelle Revis, Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman, the natural next step would be to find the next superstar cornerback to continue the revealing. The Cleveland Browns’ Joe Haden, Houston Texans’ Jonathan Joseph or Chicago Bears’ Charles Tillman would all be obvious options. Be it good or bad, sometimes it’s both, much of my analysis can be considered unnatural. For that reason, instead of moving onto a big-name cornerback, I decided to take a cornerback with a good reputation who played for the worst team in the league last year.

Another PED ban doesn't mean Seahawks are cheaters - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Editor's note: This column was written on the wrong side of 2 a.m. by a host who is currently on a beach in Southeast Asia suffering from severe jet lag and under the influence of copious amounts of fruit juice, everything from mango to young coconut.

Marshawn Lynch DUI case continued to July 5 | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch had a court date this morning for a motion to suppress evidence in Alameda County District Court, stemming from charges filed against him for driving under the influence of alcohol in July of last year. According to Teresa Drenick, assistant district attorney for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, the motion to suppress was continued to July 5.

Spencer Ware not backing down from obvious challenge
"It helps," Ware said of the increase reps, which Tuesday came in the indoor practice facility at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. "It gets me in a comfortable position as far as lining up in the fullback or the tailback position. I’m picking it up pretty fast, being able to do some things to disguise what I’m doing for the defense but still know my assignment and the protection and getting out." What Ware has displayed to this point is soft hands as a receiver, quick feet as a runner and the willingness to do whatever is asked – blocking as a fullback; running as a tailback; catching the ball as either; and running down the field to cover kicks on special teams. "I’m a team player and I’m trying to contribute any way I can," he said. "Something I take pride in is knowing the offense and knowing everybody’s key roles and what is called for in certain situations. So it kind of naturally just comes to me knowing both positions."

Rokevious Watkins suspended one game | ProFootballTalk
Rokevious Watkins was limited to just one game in his rookie season because of an ankle injury and he won't be playing all 16 games in his second season either. The NFL announced that Watkins has been suspended for the first game of the 2013 season.

No question: Russell Wilson's in charge now | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Former third-round pick looking to build on his 2012 rookie performance

Strong reviews for Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Brock Huard shares what he saw from Seahawks wide receivers Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin during the team's first OTA practice. - Blog 710 ESPN Seattle at MyNorthwest.com

49ers' options as Michael Crabtree has surgery - ESPN
The season-altering and potentially season-ending injury Michael Crabtree suffered Tuesday leaves the San Francisco 49ers with question marks at wide receiver.

Michael Crabtree's injury and the NFC West race - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have, by some accounts, carried their NFC West rivalry into the offseason. When one team would make a high-profile move, the other would seem to have a move of its own ready.

Closer look: Offensive starter projections - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Much thanks to @groomoo for delicately suggesting we take a more detailed look at the recently published average ages for projected NFL starters.

Safe to say coaches not aggressive enough - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The "Ground Chuck" nickname for Chuck Knox fit the former NFL coach's old-school reputation even if it sometimes misrepresented his approach to offensive football.

Ron Jaworski: Chip Kelly’s Oregon offense won’t work in the NFL | ProFootballTalk
New Eagles coach Chip Kelly has said he can adjust his style and run a different system in the NFL than he ran at Oregon. Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski says he’ll have to.

Roots of NFL coaching trees run deep - ESPN
Welcome to ESPN's "Greatest Coaches in NFL History" series. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Vince Lombardi's birth, we salute the finest innovators, motivators, tacticians, teachers and champions ever to stalk the sidelines. Follow along as we reveal our list of the top 20 coaches of all time and document the lineage of the league's most influential coaching trees.

Where Do the 49ers Stand After Michael Crabtree's Achilles Injury? | Bleacher Report
After three sub-par seasons in San Francisco to start his career, the light bulb finally went off for wide receiver Michael Crabtree in 2012...

How Much Influence Does an Offensive Line Have on Quarterback Success? | Bleacher Report
Success at the quarterback position in the NFL is not only predicated on the individual success of a signal-caller, but it is predicated on the success of his supporting cast. Whether that is his backfield, wide receiving corp...

Michael Crabtree tears Achilles tendon at 49ers OTAs - NFL.com
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles tendon during organized team activities Tuesday, a person informed of the injury told Ian Rapoport.

Harbaugh: Michael Crabtree not expected to miss season - NFL.com
Coach Jim Harbaugh insists Michael Crabtree is not expected to miss the full 2013 NFL season after undergoing Achilles' tendon surgery. What can the San Francisco 49ers expect when Crabtree returns?

Top 10 quarterbacks 25 or under: Sam Bradford - NFL.com
Sam Bradford has the pedigree of a No. 1 draft pick but the numbers of a below-average starter. So where will the St. Louis Rams QB's career go from here? Gregg Rosenthal breaks it down.

Top 5 corners & safeties for the 2014 draft | National Football Post
The Big 12 is flush with secondary talent entering the 2013 collegiate season.

Getting your foot in the sports door | National Football Post
Some useful tips for those who want to work in sports.

Rex calls Sanchez’s OTA interceptions “unacceptable” | ProFootballTalk
“This is OTAs and things, but yeah, that’s going to be the pressure that we’re putting on him,” Ryan said. “He did a lot of great things. It’s not that you try to cover up the fact you had some bad plays — no, no, no you flat tell him. We can’t have these and all that type of stuff. He knows.”

San Francisco 49ers WR Michael Crabtree Tears Achilles at OTAs

2013-05-22T22:41:45Z

The injury bug has hit hard early on for the San Francisco 49ers. Michael Crabtree, who in 2012 became the 49ers' first 1,000 yard receiver since Terrell Owens in 2003, faces approximately six months of rehab after tearing his achilles during Tuesday's OTAs. David Fucillo of Niners Nation weighs in on the disappointing development.

John Lotulelei was Seahawks' priority UDFA

2013-05-22T16:57:03Z

It's fairly well documented that Seattle used three of their four 7th round picks on the offensive line because, despite the fact they still had 'draftable' players on their board at other positions, they thought they stood a better chance of UDFA recruitment at those spots. Thus, they picked Ryan Seymour, Jared Smith and Michael Bowie because they had felt offensive line recruitment would be a tougher area, and went out after a couple of highly-rated (on their boards) linebackers and defensive ends in rookie free agency instead.

The UDFA free-for-all is in many ways a recruiting bonanza, where coaches and GMs try and convince players to come join their team and players must decide which place is the best fit for them. To sweeten deals though, each team is alloted $78,000 to divvy up as signing bonuses to their most highly sought-after targets.

As Brian McIntyre pointed out last night, the Seahawks spent $50,000 of their $78,000 UDFA allotment on three main guys: LB John Lotulelei ($25k), LB Craig Wilkins ($12.5k) & DE Kenneth Boatright ($12.5k). Unsurprisingly, those three guys have been making some noise in mini-camps and OTAs.

John Lotulelei has been singled out by Dan Quinn and Pete Carroll the most, though, and at this point, in my mind, has a possibly the best shot of making the final roster of all the UDFAs. It's not necessarily an indicator of who does and doesn't make final rosters, but as BMac points out, "The largest signing bonus issued to [any] undrafted rookie [in the entire NFL] this year belongs to UNLV linebacker John Lotulelei, who received $25,000 to sign with the Seattle Seahawks."

Carroll and Schneider have both noted that the Seahawks had a 5th round grade on Lotulelei, and if you watch the video below, it's pretty easy to see why. He's an instinctive playmaker that racked up 120 tackles his senior season and was All-Conference Mountain West at UNLV.

While Lotulelei's 40 time isn't on par with some of the current Seahawks linebackers' 4.4/4.5 standards (he ran it in 4.78 at the Combine and 4.65 at his Pro Day), his lateral agility is damn near elite: his 6.91 seconds in the three-cone drill was the second-best among linebackers at the Combine, and his 4.30 short shuttle was good for seventh. His 35.5" vert ranked fourth among linebackers and his 25 reps on bench press tied him for sixth. The dude is an athlete, even if he lacks in straight-line long-speed, a little bit. This is also evident in his highlight video below, where he routinely chases down receivers and backs in short distances. It also helps that he has long arms (32"+) and huge hands (10.6").

The Maui News recollected recently the process that went into his Seahawks' recruitment:

"After the draft, coach [Ken] Norton was trying to convince me to sign," Lotulelei said. "He coached Kaluka [Maiava, another Maui linebacker that went to Carroll/Norton's USC and is now in the NFL]. He's had a lot of experience. He's played linebacker. He has three rings. He's been to Pro Bowls."

Lotulelei said he also talked with the Chicago Bears, but noted that they have seven-time Pro Bowl pick Lance Briggs, and drafted two linebackers (Jon Bostic out of Florida in the second round and Khaseem Greene out of Rutgers in the fourth).

Lotulelei also spoke with the Washington Redskins, and was intrigued by the idea of learning from three-time Pro Bowler and 15-year NFL veteran London Fletcher, but said he felt the Seahawks ultimately made a better offer, which included a $25,000 signing bonus.

"It was exactly like college recruiting. It was a pressuring experience," said Lotulelei, who spent two seasons at UNLV after first playing at Merced (Calif.) College. "I've never really been recruited like that, though, out of high school or junior college, so it was a nice experience."

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With Seattle's roster already fairly stacked, it's going to be tough for any UDFA type to catch on.

That said, special teams is the place where Lotulelei might carve out a role early, and he seems perfectly suited for it. Special teams ace Heath Farwell is entering the final year of his deal and has a cap hit of $1.67M - a fairly large number for that role, so Seattle is undoubtedly looking for a player that could either take Farwell's spot this year or succeed him once his contract is up.

Lotulelei will be competing for a spot with Korey Toomer, Allen Bradford, Mike Morgan, Kyle Knox, and of course, Farwell, so it's obviously no easy path, but he's a guy to keep an eye on, particularly because Seattle had a 5th round grade on him and then gave him the biggest signing bonus of any UDFA in the NFL this year.

From NFL.com's Draft Profile:

STRENGTHS Lotulelei is a thick outside linebacker who possesses enough quickness to avoid offensive linemen and closing speed to attack stretch plays on the other side of the line. He's an aggressive tackler who can explode into ballcarriers; he also takes out fullbacks and pulling guards in the hole like a hammer. Lotulelei low center of gravity and upper-body strength allows him to punch to shed and play with leverage inside, and he has the instincts and vision to find the ball in traffic. His hustle and solid tackling should allow him to succeed on the interior of special teams coverage units.

WEAKNESSES He'll be among the shorter linebackers in the draft class. His short, compact build will probably limit him to the interior at the next level, and linemen will have an advantage over him between the tackles with his average length. His man-cover skills are limited, as he lacks the pure short-area quickness and recovery speed to chase down receivers once taking a false step or starting a tick behind.

BOTTOM LINE Lotulelei (no relation with Utah defensive tackle Star) needed some time to take advantage of his gifts at the junior college level, and didn't earn a starting spot until later in his junior year. There are plenty of things to like about his attacking style, however, allowing him to project as a late-round inside linebacker prospect with good special teams potential.

Star Trek: Into Darkness reviewed by NFL rookies

2013-05-22T15:37:36Z

For the second time in as many years, SB Nation flew out to LA to document the 2013 NFLPA Rookie Premiere. One of the many events of the week was a trip to Arclight Cinemas in LA where the rookies took in Star Trek Into the Darkness, and then reviewed the movie on camera. The range of reactions to the movie might surprise you. Enjoy and subscribe for other features, interviews and fun from out in LA.