Seattle Seahawks Training Camp 2013

by Jackson Safon

One year ago. Just one short year ago our training camp storylines were completely different. It was Flynnsanity. Few truly thought Russell Wilson could break out in the way he did and not only take Flynn’s job, but take it and run. There were questions about Lynch’s health. Now it’s questions about Percy Harvin’s health. We were wondering if a rookie from Utah State could truly be the answer at middle linebacker. We thought this Richard Sherman guy could be a solid little player, and now he is going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A lot has changed in a year.

This year the plot is very different, but much more exciting because of the success achieved by the Hawks last year. There are always story lines everywhere, but I will give a few of my favorites on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Offense:

1. Percy Harvin-This story line became much more interesting today in wake of the news that Harvin has a potentially torn labrum and could require surgery. However the injury plays out I still think this is one of the most interesting and exciting story lines of this upcoming season. Let’s set aside the injury for a moment. Whenever Harvin comes back to the team it is going to be fascinating how they integrate him into the lineup. In the second half of the season last year the Hawks offense turned it up and was one of the top units in the entire league. So how are they going to add in one of the most dynamic players in the NFL? Last year they were a run first team, with Marshawn Lynch being the NFL’s third leading rusher behind Adrian Peterson and Alfred Morris. With the addition of Harvin and the progression of Wilson lead to a change in offensive identity? Do the Hawks play a lot more three or four wide receiver sets? Does Percy Harvin get a lot of time in the backfield? So many questions that I have about the offense this year and I am so excited to see how it plays out.

www.seattleseahawks.com

Percy Harvin will have to undergo surgery on his torn labrum. He will be out 3-4 months.

2. Running Backs-This is an interesting one because we have so much talent at this position. Lynch is obviously a beast. Everyone knows that. But we also have Robert Turbin who will be looking to improve off of a very solid rookie campaign, and recent draftee Christine Michael who I think is every bit the part of a beastly NFL running back. I personally think Christine Michael could be the incumbent to Lynch when his contract is up in a few years. But that is thinking too far ahead. The important thing is right now, and I wonder how the Hawks will get enough touches for all three of these guys. Lynch obviously needs his touches, Turbin showed he can be very explosive, and I believe Michael is going to be an absolute stud. Running backs coach Sherman Smith has raved about Robert Turbin in previous interviews and has said that he is the backup to Lynch, which begs the question is Christine Michael going to get any real playing time at all? With Percy Harvin’s versatility and the potential shift in the offense, I am interested to see how the running back situation gets sorted out.

www.seattleseahawks.com

Christine Michael could challenge Robert Turbin for the back-up running back position.

Defense:

1. Bruce Irvin-This guy has showed so much potential at times, then at others (such as a crucial playoff game against the Falcons) he just disappears. He still had a fantastic rookie season with eight sacks, and I expect him to become not only a more accomplished pass rusher but a better run defender as well this season. Now that would be a story line as it is, but that’s not to mention the four game suspension Irvin has to serve because of violating the league’s drug policy. Losing him for the first four games, plus having Chris Clemons already out for a good while because of his injury, the front seven will have to play a bit shorthanded to start the year. I look to see how the rest of the guys respond, but also how well Irvin plays coming off his suspension.

2. Front Seven Versatility-This sort of ties in with the last part about Bruce Irvin, but I personally think it deserves a segment to itself. With the defensive line and linebackers shorthanded to start the year this won’t play nearly as large, but once Irvin and Clemons return to the team, the Hawks will almost have too many pass rushers. The question is what to do with them all. Once the team is fully healthy we will have Bruce Irvin, Chris Clemons, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Red Bryant, and Brandon Mebane. This doesn't even take into account guys like Greg Scruggs, or rookies Jordan Hill and Jesse Williams. Obviously this is too many guys for four spots on the defensive line which is actually a good problem to have. I believe Avril will move to the “Leo” linebacker spot which is essentially a pass-rushing guy who doesn't rush the passer all the time. He played this position in college as well, so I don’t think the transition will be too difficult. Even if that is how it plays out, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have an absurd amount of versatility with this group and I cannot wait to see what he does with them. But just imagine being a quarterback on third and long with Irvin, Clemons, Bennett, and Avril all coming to get you. It gives me Goosebumps just thinking about it.

Obviously there are more story lines and position battles, many of which relate to the rookies. A couple of rookie names I believe can make an impact in this season are Christine Michael (RB), Jesse Williams (DT), Jordan Hill (DL), and Luke Willson (TE) among others. Stay tuned for more information on training camp, but just think about how close we are to the season actually starting. Go Hawks.

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Newcomers Morales, Morse and Ibanez Leading the Charge

by Jackson Safon

It is no secret that the offense of the Mariners is and has been struggling this year. However, these struggles can’t be attributed to the three main newcomers of the team Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse and Raul Ibanez. The Mariners are second to last in the American League in runs scored, third to last in hits, third to last in on-base percentage and third to last in slugging percentage, which are obvious causes for their 22-29 record. After going on a little bit of a streak a few weeks ago, peaking at 20-21 and second in the division, they have lost eight of ten and are now fourth in the division. Inconsistent pitching has plagued the team, but when it comes to hitting, they have been consistently below par. Six Mariners hitters have batted less than .200 over the past 30 days, including starting center fielder Michael Saunders, but there are some bright spots.

If Michael Morse can stay healthy, he should prove to be a huge asset for the Mariners.

Getty Images

Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse, and Raul Ibanez have really come on over the last month or so, and are leading the team in all offensive categories. Over the past 30 days, Morales and Ibanez are one and two in average, as well as tied for the team lead in RBI. Ibanez and Morse are first and second in home runs over the past month, and Ibanez has been particularly hot, with seven home runs and eighteen RBI in just fifteen games. These guys are obviously the key to the Mariners offense as of late and with all three of them being new to the team this year (even if Ibanez and Morse have had previous stints with the team), it is a testament to Jack Z. and Mariners management to have gone out and acquired guys that we need. The Mariners front offense has been trashed as of late for drafting poorly, making poor moves in the free agent market, as well as not going out to get the kind of guys this team really needs, hitters.

Even though I am not truly happy with the job Jack Zduriencik has done so far, I do think he deserves credit at least for trying to get hitters that can help bolster the offense. The team as a whole has not performed at an extremely high level offensively, but three new additions have performed at a very high level recently, which should not go overlooked. The question is however, what is the next move Zduriencik will make, as all three of these guys are going to be free agents at the end of the season. Will we resign one, two, or all three of them? Will we trade Kendrys Morales, as is of popular opinion?

Should the Mariners re-sign, trade or let Kendrys Morales go at the end of the season?
Getty Images

With the recent surge by Kendrys Morales, I think he should be the top priority for Mariners management to re-sign, but I sadly don’t think this will happen. I believe he will be traded for some assets and a middle of the pack hitter before the trade deadline, which would really make no one happy, but it isn’t really up to us. Morales’ agent is the notorious Scott Boras, who as you may or may not know, is the most brutal agent in pro sports. I believe that this is the reason that the Mariners will not be able to re-sign Morales. A four year, $43 million contract sounds perfectly natural for a player of Morales’ caliber, but because Scott Boras is his agent, this will just be the floor for the negotiations. Time will tell what happens with Morales and the other two free agents, but it is thanks to them that the Mariners offense is even staying afloat at this point in the season.

Note: Statistics taken from a week an a half ago.

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Seattle Storm: Brief Expectations

by Jackson Safon

The Seattle Storm have been a model of consistency, making the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons, which is a league record. This mark could come to an end this season however. I won’t pretend to be an expert when it comes to the WNBA, but what I do know is that losing your two best players is never good. That’s exactly what has happened with this year’s Storm team. Lauren Jackson, former MVP, is recovering from hamstring surgery this winter and Sue Bird, all-star point guard, just recently had knee surgery. Both will be out for a pretty decent amount of time, and considering there are only 34 games in a WNBA season, any and all games missed are important.

Both Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson are out this year due to injury. 

www.olympicgirls.net/sport-girls/sue-bird-lauren-jackson.jpg

With these two players out, the team will be in the hands of second year forward, and former second overall pick, Shekinna Stricklen. The Storm had to give up the popular Swin Cash and a first round pick in order to acquire the second overall pick in order to pick Stricklen. Now, with their two best players out, Stricklen will be thrust into a leadership role earlier than expected. Like I said, I am not an expert, so I won’t pretend to be, but with the Storm going 16-18 last year, and having their two best players out, I think this could be the first time in ten years that they don’t make the playoffs.

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Mariners Early Season Awards

by Jackson Safon

Forty-five games into the Mariners season and they are 20-25. After playing really well for a stretch and even getting within one game of .500, they got swept by the Indians and have now moved back well below .500. We are just over a fourth of the way through the season, which means of course that it is time for some awards. Who doesn't like awards? Also because I need something to cheer me up considering the Mariners just got swept by the Indians and are, as I’m typing, losing to the 17-27 Angels. I am going to give the standard awards and some creative ones as well.

Offensive MVP: Kyle Seager

-No surprise here as Seager probably would have won this award last year as well, but this choice wasn't as obvious as it would seem. Kendrys Morales is nipping at his heels in virtually all categories. Of players who get regular playing time, Seager leads the team in batting average, hits, runs, and RBI, which would make it obvious that he would win the award. But as I said, Morales is not far behind, as he is only three hits, one homerun, and one RBI behind Seager. Whatever the case may be, Seager has followed up his stellar season last year with a strong start to the season so far and is the offensive MVP through 45 games.

Kyle Seager has proven to be the Mariner's best option on offense this year.

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

-This was a VERY tough choice because Hisashi Iwakuma is having such a stellar season, and Tom Wilhelmsen has been virtually flawless as well, but as is the norm, Felix takes home the top pitching honors. One of the main reasons I gave him the nod over the other two guys is the fact that he might very well be the Cy Young of the American League, never mind the Seattle Mariners. He has been absolutely stellar this season, posting a 2.07 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and posting a great 6-1 strikeout to walk ratio. At this rate, Felix will not hit the 20 win mark I predicted for him before the season, but his pitching gives the team a great chance to win almost every time he goes out there and he gets my early season Cy Young.

Newcomer of the Year: Kendrys Morales

-A number of guys were up for this award and a number of guys could arguably have won it, but Kendrys is having the best overall season so far. He is second on the team in runs, RBI, and average among regular players. I just love the guy and think he has made a major impact in the middle of the lineup, even though the team’s offense hasn't been quite as good as everyone had anticipated. Honorable mention for this award goes to Michael Morse who leads the team in home runs, and Raul Ibanez, who isn't totally new to the team, but has been absolutely on fire recently and has 8 homers and 20 RBI in only 27 games.

(This is where it gets fun)

The David-Freese “Where has this been” Award: Justin Smoak

-This award is named so because of David Freese’s breakout performance for the Cardinals in the playoffs two years ago. He was always a good player, but one that people around the league thought could be so much better. He finally showed this and broke out in the playoffs that year. However, I hesitate to call this award the most improved award because it is specifically given to someone who we all expected to be good, but hasn't been up until this point. This is why this award is perfect for Justin Smoak. Everyone assumes he is having a terrible season because he has had a terrible career as a Mariner, but recently he has been playing terrific baseball. In fact, as Greg Johns of MLB.com notes, over the past 30 days Smoak is second among American League first basemen in on-base percentage (.422), fourth in batting average (.297), sixth in OPS (.922), and eighth in slugging percentage (.500). This is exactly the type of hitting we expected from Smoak when he came over from the Rangers, and if he can keep it up, he will be a force to be reckoned with. This improved hitting, plus his always stellar defense, makes him perfect for the David Freese (who also plays very good defense) award. The Smoakamotive has risen.

Justin Smoak has caught fire recently.

Steven Bisig - US PRESSWIRE

The Franklin Gutierrez “Needs to Stay Healthy” Award: Franklin Gutierrez*

-I’m just kidding. That wouldn't be fair to give the award to its namesake in the first year of its existence, but in all seriousness he does deserve it. To be fair to the rest of the team and to give it to the person that I really think means more to the team, this award goes to Michael Saunders. When Saunders is in the game the Mariners are just a different team, both on offense and defense. He obviously plays great defense, but his presence at the top of lineup absolutely makes a difference. Without him, there is so much less potency in the lineup and it just has a different feel with Endy Chavez leading off games. I really think Michael Saunders makes a huge difference to this team on both offense and defense, which is why he gets the Franklin Gutierrez Award.

The Omar Vizquel “Please God Let Me Hit the Ball Better” Award: Brendan Ryan

-This award really can only go to Ryan, because of the caveat that the award winner must play good defense, as Omar Vizquel did. Brendan Ryan is the modern day version of Omar Vizquel, who for those of you don’t know won nine gold gloves, but could never really hit the ball at a great level. I also happen to know Omar personally and used to be friends with his son, but I digress. The point is Brendan Ryan is the epitome of this award because his .178 batting average really doesn't cut it, but the fact that his defense is just so good almost makes up for it.

It’s time for my last early season award. I hope you guys have liked them.

The Hasheem Thabeet “Doesn’t Really Belong” Award: Jesus Montero

-Hasheem Thabeet is one of the more interesting players in the NBA in my opinion because he was drafted so highly at the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, was immediately sent to the D-League, but now has made it back up to the bigs. He has shown flashes of serious talent, but has never put it together for long enough to maintain relevance and every time I watch him play all I think is, “He really doesn't belong”. This is why the award goes to Jesus Montero. Occasionally, he will show what he’s got and blast a long home run, but his .208 average and lack of consistency really isn't cutting it. I personally think he should be sent down to triple-A where he can develop into a real player. I think he has shown enough potential to not quit on the project forever, but I don’t think he belongs in the MLB right now. 

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Felix Avoids Getting “Felixed” Again

by Jackson Safon

Last Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the Pirates was just another example of how Felix Hernandez is not getting the run support he needs or deserved. He had to hold the Pirates to one run over eight innings to avoid, as Mitch Levy put it, “getting Felixed”. Throughout his entire career, Felix has not gotten the same run support as not only other pitchers in the league, but other pitchers on the team. Perhaps this is just perception, but the statistics show that he really is getting very little support. In six of his eight starts this season, the Mariners have scored three runs or less, and in three of those six they have scored two or less. It is not only that however. In the three games Felix has started that the Mariners have not won, the team scored three runs twice, and one in the other game. Additionally, all three of these games were one run losses. This wouldn't be so hard to take if the Mariners were actually better. They are under five hundred, as seems to be the norm recently, and over a fourth of their losses are one or two runs games. Furthermore, the knock on Felix’s Cy Young bid every season is that he doesn't have a high enough win total, even though his other numbers are near or at the top of the league. If the M’s offense could simply produce at a league average level on a consistent basis for Felix, he would earn many more wins.

Felix wishes his offense could spare him a few runs to work with.

Howard Simmons/NYT

One interesting note about Felix and his success is that his WAR (wins above replacement) is only 2.5. Although I am not an expert on this statistic, it would seem that leading the American League in ERA, is second in WHIP, tied for third in strikeouts, and second in strikeout to walk ratio would be worth more 2.5 wins above the average starter. The real issue however is that Felix has to avoid “getting Felixed” seemingly every start. Although he is on a really hot four-start stretch, he won’t be able to hold offenses to one run or less every game. When he cools off a little bit the team will really be in trouble. If the pattern of run support, or lack thereof continues, we won’t even be able to win games when Felix does start. This article is as much a praise of Felix as it is a challenge to our offense. It is really time for the offense to step up. Almost a fourth of the way through the season, and after starting the season around the middle of the pack, the Mariners have regressed back to the norm for them, and are second to last in the league in average and runs scored. The Mariners have managed to hang around and are now just three games below five hundred even with this crappy offense, so if they can finally step up a little bit I don’t see why this team can’t break through. So this is my official challenge to the offense. Step up. Make progress. Let’s finally get a winning season again.

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The King Hits 100

by Jackson Safon

On Monday Felix Hernandez became the third pitcher in Mariners history (Jamie Moyer and Randy Johnson) to get 100 wins. First I would like to say congratulations to him because this is a really great accomplishment, especially pitching for a team that has had consistently terrible offensive production throughout his career. He achieved this accomplishment against the Astros in a game where the Mariners provided him with seven runs, an unbelievably high amount considering how inept the Mariners offense has been recently. It always seems like Felix gets the least run support out of all of the Mariner’s starters. Whenever Felix hits any sort of milestone in wins, it always gets me thinking how many he could have if the Mariners offense wasn’t so terrible. His career high in wins is 19, but besides that season, he has never had more than 14. Considering Felix has almost always been a top five pitcher in the American League, it is crazy how few wins he has. He is always towards the top of the list in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, K/9 innings, and basically every statistical category other than wins, which makes you realize how bad his run support must be. I have no doubt that if he was on a team with a halfway decent offense or better, he would have many more wins and probably a few more Cy Young awards as well.



Felix Hernandez has had an exceptional season thus far, but as is the norm, he has not received substantial run support from the offense.

Ben Margot / The Associated Press

To prove how good Felix’s stats are, we are going to play a little game called player A vs. player B. To do this we simply use stats to decide which player we would prefer as opposed to the perception of the public.

Player A: 15-6, 3.38 ERA, 197 K’s, 1.14 WHIP

Player B: 13-9, 3.06 ERA, 223 K’s, 1.14 WHIP

Player C: 17-8, 2.64 ERA, 239 K’s, 1.06 WHIP

I think it is obvious that the best of the three pitchers is player C, who happens to be Justin Verlander. Second best would be player B who is King Felix, and the third of the three is player A, who is C.C. Sabathia. Few would say argue against Verlander being the best pitcher in baseball, but as Felix’s numbers show, he isn’t all that far behind. The biggest disparity for Felix against all other pitchers and therefore his biggest obstacle in winning the Cy Young, is wins. However, this shouldn’t be held against him, because it isn’t really his fault. The Mariners have had a consistently terrible offense throughout the entirety of Felix’s time in Seattle, while teams like the Yankees and Tigers have been towards the top of the league in terms of run support. I have no doubt that if Felix was pitching for the Tigers, Yankees, or any other team with an average or above average offense, his win total would skyrocket.

At this point, Felix is the second highest paid pitcher in baseball and I would argue that he is the second best pitcher in baseball. It is disappointing that it has taken him this long to hit 100 wins because our offense has been so terrible, but it is still a great accomplishment and the biggest congratulations go out to him from us. In short, Seattle loves Felix, and they go to great lengths to show it, but I still think his greatness is under appreciated and hitting a milestone like this is a great time to show our gratitude. Thank you Felix for all you do, and thank you for being a Mariner for life.

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Seahawks Sit Out Day One of Draft, Prepare for Day Two

by Marshall Cherrington

After what was a slow and boring first round of the NFL Draft for Seahawks fans, there is plenty to look forward to on day two of the draft. Plenty of highly skilled players remain who can fill needs for the team. Here is a look at some of those names who the Seahawks could end up with when they pick 25th (56th overall) in the second round:

Menelik Watson
Keenan Allen
Robert Woods
Damontre Moore
Margus Hunt
Arthur Brown
Jesse Williams
Kawann Short
Kevin Minter
Khaseem Greene
John Jenkins
Johnathan Hankins
Terron Armstead
Sio Moore
Brandon Williams
Gavin Escobar

We hope you're looking forward to an exciting second day of the draft. We'll have an analysis piece up on the Seahawks draft pick soon after the player is chosen.