Seahawks wasting Russell Wilson, NFL power rankings and more
The Seattle Seahawks have a generational quarterback, and although they did get a ring early on, they’re currently wasting him on a horrific roster.
In 2012, the Seattle Seahawks took a flier on Russell Wilson in third round. They hit the jackpot.
Wilson was an immediate success, winning the Super Bowl in his second season and reaching it in his third. At 29 years old, the former University of Wisconsin star is a four-time Pro Bowler and in the prime of his career.
At the peak of his powers, Seattle should be doing all it can to build a contender around him, even if it means mortgaging the future. Instead, general manager John Schneider painted himself into a corner with bad personnel decisions over the previous three years, leaving Wilson to pay the proverbial tab.
Hired in 2010 as the team’s general manager, Schneider erected a champion through the draft and shrewd free agency signings. He selected Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, Golden Tate and Kam Chancellor in his first go-round. The following year, Schneider hit on K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell and Malcolm Smith. In 2012, the Seahawks put the finishing touches on a team with dynastic potential, landing Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, Wilson and Jeremy Lane.
Incredibly, only Wilson, Wagner, Thomas, Chancellor and Wright remain on the roster, with Chancellor potentially done due to a neck injury. More damning are the following five drafts, which have seen 49 selections and a single Pro Bowler in Tyler Lockett.
Ultimately, Wilson is borderline helpless on a team that, without a Hall of Fame quarterback, would be lucky to win five games. Seattle currently has a depth chart that plugs Ethan Pocic, Justin Britt, D.J. Fluker and Germain Ifedi into starting roles on the offensive line. The tight ends are Nick Vannett and Ed Dickson. The running back? Rookie Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson.
On defense, the nickel package requires Neiko Thorpe, Shaquill Griffin and Justin Coleman to line up at the corners. Good luck.
Again, all of this was allowed to happen on Schneider’s watch. As was the purge of a solid coaching staff this offseason, which saw coordinators Darrell Bevell and Kris Richard leave for lateral moves, while Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr. were brought in as respective replacements.
At their last stops in these positions, both Schottenheimer and Norton were horror shows. Schottenheimer helmed the St. Louis Rams’ offense from 2012-14. In that time, it ranked 23rd, 30th and 28th. As for Norton, the Oakland Raiders’ defense represented a boat with unpluggable holes, finishing 22nd, 26th and 23rd in yards allowed.
Somehow, Schneider hired both men in hopes of taking a depleted roster and making it perform better.
Which brings us back to Wilson. At 29, the league’s most athletic quarterback can’t continue doing it all. Last year, he led the team in rushing yardage, both because of a horrific offensive line and the inability for receivers to get open. If he continues to scramble, history and logic both say he’ll wind up hurt. Then, Seattle gets the Austin Davis show.
After letting so many talented players go over the years, Schneider has left Wilson twisting in the wind. Now, it’s up to his quarterback, the best draft pick Seattle ever made, to save the man that made it.
Power rankings
Top 10 NFL nicknames of all time
1. The Nigerian Nightmare – Christian Okoye, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Crazy Legs – Elroy Hirsch, Los Angeles Rams
3. The Kansas Comet – Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
4. Night Train – Dick Lane, Detroit Lions
5. White Shoes – Billy Johnson, Houston Oilers
6. Sweetness – Walter Payton, Chicago Bears
7. The Minister of Defense – Reggie White, Green Bay Packers
8. Broadway Joe – Joe Namath, New York Jets
9. Mean Joe Greene – Joe Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. The Mad Stork – Ted Hendricks, Oakland Raiders
Quotable
"“We’re well capable of being a top-5 defense. I think last year was just a glimpse of how good we can really be. I think we kind of started to put it all together toward the end of the season, and we’ve got something to build on now. We’re all getting very comfortable with each other, day in and day out. This time of the year, this is when we really become close and get communication and all that stuff down pat. So, I think we definitely can be a top-5 defense. That’s on us to make it happen.”"
– Atlanta Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell on the defense’s potential this season
Typically, the national conversation around the Falcons turns to offense, but the defense could be a special unit in 2018. Atlanta has a pair of dynamic pass-rushers in Takk McKinley and Vic Beaskley Jr., along with phenomenal corners in Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford. Factor in terrific speed at all three levels with players such as safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones, and the defense should be lethal.
In a loaded NFC South that includes the high-powered New Orleans Saints, the Falcons’ defense — not their offense — might be the difference.
Podcast
Matt Verderame and Josh Hill break down all things NFL every Monday on a new episode of the Stacking The Box podcast. It can be watched live on Facebook and YouTube though the FanSided’s pages, or listened to via download at iTunes!
Random stat
From 1970-75, the Miami Dolphins were 38-4 at the Orange Bowl, including a run of 27 straight victories.
As for an additional fun fact, the Dolphins dominated the Buffalo Bills in the ’70s, posting a record of 20-0 against them.
Info learned this week
1. Dwight Clark passes away from ALS
On Monday, the NFL lost a legend in Dwight Clark. Clark, 61, passed away from the dreaded disease of ALS, robbing him of a few more decades in the sun.
While Clark is gone, his memory most-certainly is not. The former San Francisco 49ers receiver was a two-time Pro Bowler along with a Super Bowl champion in 1981 and ’84.
Of course, Clark will be forever remembered for The Catch, skying above the Dallas Cowboys in the north end zone of Candlestick Park in the ’81 NFC Championship Game for the game-winning touchdown. It was Clark, the former 10th round pick out of Clemson, who made a fingertip grab over Everson Walls, launching one dynasty and putting down another.
Rest in peace, Dwight.
2. Brady, Gronk return to Patriots OTAs
After some drama, the New England Patriots and their fans can go back to breathing. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski both skipped the start of OTAs but have now returned, giving the two-time defending AFC champions their full compliment of weapons.
New England is going to need Brady and Gronkowski more than ever after a rough offseason. Bill Belichick watched as Nate Solder, Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Butler left in free agency, while Brandin Cooks was shipped to the Rams for a first-round pick. The Patriots are still the favorites in the AFC, but they have real challenges.
3. Giants’ Gettleman diagnosed with cancer
David Gettleman has always been known in NFL circles as a tough SOB. He’ll have to be tough once more, with the announcement that the New York Giants general manager has lymphoma. The 67-year-old says his prognosis is positive and that he’ll continue working throughout the treatment.
Gettleman, who was hired in December to relieve Jerry Reese, has already done plenty to reshape the roster. New York brought in Nate Solder and Will Hernandez along the offensive line, placed Saquon Barkley in the backfield and hired Pat Shurmur as head coach.
Gettleman’s reputation as a football man predates New York, going back to his time with the Carolina Panthers. There, the Boston native built a 15-1 team in 2015, reaching Super Bowl 50 behind a punishing defense and Cam Newton’s MVP season.
4. Ravens get docked OTAs for excessive contact
The Baltimore Ravens apparently have a tough time following rules. On Wednesday, it was announced that the team would forfeit two OTAs as a result of contact during passing drills. Baltimore, which was also penalized and fined by the league back in 2016 for violations during OTAs.
While this isn’t likely to have a major impact on Baltimore’s season, it’s still a troubling pattern. The Ravens have to adhere to the Collective Bargaining Agreement like everyone else, and at this juncture, they don’t appear particularly interested in doing so.
One wonders if commissioner Roger Goodell should have come down harder this time around to prove a point, perhaps cancelling mandatory minicamp as well.
5. Shane Ray’s time in Denver is running out
The Denver Broncos selected Shane Ray in the first round of the ’15 draft. It appears that pick might end up going bust. After undergoing three wrist surgeries over the past year, Ray now needs another operation on the same wrist, likely putting him on the PUP list to start the regular season.
Ray, 25, was limited to eight games last season and only amassed one sack. With the addition of Bradley Chubb to the roster, it’s tough to imagine Ray coming back to the Mile High City in 2019. The absence of Ray really hurts the depth in Denver, on a defense that already saw Aqib Talib get dealt to the Rams without a legitimate replacement coming to town.
History lesson
Paul Brown is arguably the greatest coach to ever live, and has one of the most impressive coaching trees in NFL history. While the two teams he coached — the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals — are yet to win a Super Bowl (Brown did win three NFL titles in Cleveland before the Super Bowl era), his imprints are all over a bevy of champions.
Over the first 52 Super Bowls, Brown’s tree is responsible for 15 titles. If you include Don Shula and Chuck Noll, who played under Brown, the number balloons to 34, thanks in large part to the Bill Parcells branch, which already has eight championships to its name.
The most Super Bowl wins for someone without any ties to Brown? Joe Gibbs, who won three championships with the Washington Redskins. Gibbs is part of the Don Coryell tree, who was an innovative offensive mind with the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Cardinals in the 70s and 80s.
All that said, Sid Gillman has to be included in the conversation for best tree of all time. Gillman, who won the 1963 American Football League title with the San Diego Chargers, has an underrated network in his wake. All told, his tree is responsible for 25 Super Bowl victories.
Last year’s championship coach, Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles, belongs to both the Brown tree through Bill Walsh’s branch.
So which tree was better, Brown or Gillman? Depends on whether you see Noll and Shula as part of Brown’s tree.
Parting shot
It’s June, and Andrew Luck still isn’t throwing a football. The Indianapolis Colts can spin this all they want, but Luck was supposed to be healthy for training camp last year. He was not. Then he was supposed to play come Week 1. He did not. Then he was supposed to come off the PUP list and finish out the season. Again, he did not.
In fact, Luck hasn’t graced a football game since Week 17 of the 20016 season. At this point, color yours truly very pessimistic that we’ll ever see Luck throw a football the way he used to. Hell, it almost feels like any semblance of a return would be a victory at this point.
With the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans all improving, the AFC South is no longer the weak sister it was at the outset of Luck’s career. If the Colts have any hope of contending for anything other than the No. 1 overall pick, Luck has to be both healthy and great.
Staring into reality, it appears neither prerequisite is on the horizon.