Field Gulls

Open College Football Thread

2009-11-21T19:59:51Z

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Jevan Snead has an arm like an orangutan.

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Keep and eye on this Jevan Snead kid. He's got a cannon with twice the accuracy.

Replacing Colin Cole

2009-11-21T00:56:53Z

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Brandon Mebane is only 24. He excelled at the one tech, but has not as quickly or effectively taken to the three tech. Mebane is signed through 2011 for third-round money. The Seahawks can be patient with his development while improving the talent around him.

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Seattle has shown patience with its players and that patience has rewarded the team. It's easy from afar to endorse canceling the Brandon-Mebane-at-three experiment. He replaced Chuck Darby like a one-tech savant, fixing the run defense and catalyzing an explosion of sacks from Darryl Tapp and Patrick Kerney. Tapp and Kerney had four sacks through six games with Darby starting at left defensive tackle. It had 17.5 in the remaining 10. Mebane became better his sophomore season. He freed sacks and led the team in sacks. Bane would pop at the snap and make a double team look foolish.

He isn't doing that this season. He is more disruptive than ever before. Mebane isn't crushing the pile into a sack, but slicing in, stringing wide and forcing passes. Instead of canceling the experiment, dropping Mebane back to one and searching this offseason for reinforcements at three, the Seahawks could replace the problem piece. Draft Dan Williams at 17 and force Colin Cole to battle Red Bryant for activation on Sunday. Maybe that motivates Bryant and reduces Cole to an obsolete stopgap finishing out the last significant year of his contract on the bench.

Williams is a crusha.

Birthdate: June 1, 1987

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 327

School: Tennessee

Starts and Game Played: 36 and 42

Stats: Five sacks, one assist, 17 hurries, 19 solo loss, seven assist lost and one blocked kick.

Quick take: Huge prototypical one-tech frame. Needs help with his first step, but already has low-level NFL pass rush moves. That's pretty beastly for a college defensive tackle. A natural athlete at the one, he has raw muscle development but a powerful, broad build. Good straight line speed.

Ruskell Sieve: Williams seems like a good kid. In this interview he is soft spoken with good things to say about his coaches. Tennessee plays in the SEC East; Ruskell's old stomping grounds. Gus Bradley has strong ties with Vols defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Kiffin's son, head coach Lane Kiffin, said: "Our defense starts with Dan. He's a dominant force and making himself a lot of money."

Videos below.

The Official Fantasy Football Thread – Week 11. The place for fantasy talk, thought, questions and general fantasy ranting.

2009-11-20T20:23:30Z

Here at Field Gulls we’ve had discussions on just about every aspect of football, including having discussions about when we can or should have discussions about Fantasy. Well, this IS the place. You can, if you must, add fantasy talk in additional game threads, but be warned, someone may be watching, and they may be mocking. Here, you have free rein to talk your team’s reign or your rain of injuries.

Something to note, and this should be a true football fan’s golden ticket when it comes to heaven and hell and the voiding of the warranty on your soul.

The first rule of Fantasy Football, you do NOT root for players against your favorite team.
The second rule of Fantasy Football, you do NOT root for players against your favorite team.

On this site, never cheer vocally against the Seahawks due to your fantasy roster. Statements like, "Well, at least I have Larry Fitzgerald on my fantasy team" (if) he was scorching the Hawks will unleash the hounds of hell upon you. Please don’t be that one bastard playing the "Don’t Come" line at the craps table. Not only will you bring bad mojo to everybody, but you’ll likely get verbally harassed, if not banned. You are a Seahawk fan, you are not "that guy" you are one of OUR guys—so act like it!

Rants and Ramblings.

I have a confession to make. I might not be the best person to be giving fantasy advice. I haven’t won a fantasy championship in three years. I feel a little like Dan Marino in around ’85. You know he believed he was going to make it back to the promised land and win one, and he never again got close… Speaking of which, don’t you feel a little like Dan Marino is about to wrap his isotoners around someone’s neck the next time they mention how great a leader and winner and talented of a quarterback is Ben Roethlisberger?

However little I’ve won recently, I do believe I put together good teams. I think my rationale is sound… it’s just… the luck part of fantasy football and poker seem to fall away from me.

Fantasy football is an endeavor in hope, and all you can do as fantasy GM is put the best possible pieces together and pray they stay healthy and perform up to expectations. Well, isn’t that interesting. Sounds a little like the same thing that a real GM has to deal with. So the next time you have some commentary about Ruskell’s inability to put together whatever aspect of the Hawks you find lacking, ask yourself this—are you in first place in your Fantasy League, a place far more inherently easy to win than the NFL? If not, perhaps your methodology for expectation in the Hawks is a little off base, eh?

Let’s talk a little about "Luck" as it pertains to fantasy football. I completely believe there are times where you make your own luck, but we have to be cognizant that there are times where things just break bad. One team in my keeper league has ZERO luck. Two weeks ago, he made a blockbuster, trading Matt Forte for Roy Williams, a 2nd round pick, and a RB outperforming Forte with a less attractive contract, Ronnie Brown. One week later, Brown goes down, lost for the year to injury. This is the 2nd time this has happened to him, as two years ago he traded for Cadillac Williams the week before he blew his ACL. Guy just needs to stay away from ex-Auburn teammates when trading for running backs.

I’ll be sure to let you know if he trades for Brandon Jacobs, since Jacobs started his college career in that same Auburn backfield…

Continuing on the "luck" tangent, listen to this team, in a .5 ppr 10 team league. (PPR= Point Per Reception)

QB - Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan
RB - AP, Ray Rice, Kevin Smith, Steve Slaton (and a recently picked up Larry Johnson on a flier.)
WR – Greg Jennings, Anquan Boldin, Percy Harvin, Nate Burleson
TE – Dustin Keller (just picked him while dropping a fading Todd Heap)
K – Stephen Gostkowski
D – Cincy.

Looks pretty good, right? Great RB’s, a solid QB, talented WR’s, best kicker in the game and a top 5 defense.

Yeah, well, I’m 4-6 and in 8th place. How is that even possible, that this team can be below .500 and on a three game losing streak?!? 6 teams make the playoffs, just have to hope I can get hot and pull an NC State tourney run. Survive and advance, survive and advance. The league playoffs aren’t until week 14, but mine start this week. Hope my team gets the memo.
---

The Picks.

The YOU IDIOT start from last week: NYJ D vs. Jacksonville. Apparently I didn’t get the memo that the NYJ D hasn’t done anything since about week 5, and Jacksonville has done nothing but get better offensively since the shellacking our Hawks put on them.

Dump of the Week: NYJ D. They’ve gone down hill from a modest to solid start, to a matchup start. Now with only Buffalo and TB left as potential matchup starts, there are better week to week D’s available. Let them go and don’t pick them back up!

The "You’ve got the touch" Reach Start of the Week: Beanie Wells against St. Louis. If you are ever going to start him, St. Louis is the team to do it against. Otherwise, might as well shelf him the rest of the way.

The bad idea play of the week: Hate to say it, but it’s our boy Matt Hasselbeck. Minnesota’s given up a ton of passing yardage this year, but most of it has been mid to deep routes, not check downs. For Matt to have a big game, his wide receivers are going to have to kill it in the YAC categories. Not to mention we’re at Minny, which means snap count/audible issues and of course, Jared Allen coming around the corner hard and fast. Not good.

And, because someone commented in a thread a while back that AP might be primarily a product of his line, not that he is a great back, but only that he is "pretty good" or some such. Here is a first half of 2009 highlight reel in HD. Guy is crazy good. Check 1:42 for a little Pittsburgh beat down (how can that NOT make a Seahawk fan happy, even if it wasn't our guy handing out the beat down.

We get to watch the best back in the league this week… may the Hawks contain him.

Post Your Hawk: Week 11

2009-11-20T15:52:57Z

Man, is this game gonna be fun, or what? Favre. Peterson. Harvin. Rice. Shiancoe. Hutchinson. Allen. Williams. Williams. Man, are we fucked or what? The Seahawks are gonna need some fancy moves to stay in this one. Like this guy:

I'm actually going to go with Deion Branch in this game. The Vikings are 31st in DVOA against "other receivers". 6 catches, 115 yards, 1 TD. Seahawks lose in a laugher of a game, 35-10.

Video Preview: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings

2009-11-20T07:28:14Z

We have a flashy opponent this week.

So far this year we've been a little less flashy.

Brett Favre = attention slut. But a really good one.

Hopefully AP doesn't do this to us. But he will.

Housh seems to realize that he may have made a mistake. But thats ok - I love him.

This is going to probably be the result.

Dolphins at Panthers Game Thread

2009-11-20T01:00:08Z

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

Peter Bradley: [Eli is on drugs while being interviewed on television] Now, your previous novel... Eli: Yes, "wildcat". Peter Bradley: Not a success. Why? Eli: Well... wildcat was written in a kind of obsolete vernacular... [long pause] Eli: ... wildcat... wild... cat... [he stares into space] Eli: ... pow... wildcat... I'm going to go.

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I was hoping Ronnie Brown would play. Brown is the most intriguing potential free agent running back in this year's always-thin free agent running back class. But Brown is injured again and, as such, might not be worth the money anyway. I guess we could instead look at Julius Peppers and dream of Seattle clearing out Patrick Kerney, Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones' contract and signing Peppers, but Peppers already knows failure. He wants success.

The remaining storyline, ignoring Jonathan Stewart and Chad Henne, is Pat White and the future of the Wild Cat. College is teeming with Pat White like players that excel at the college game but have no future in the pros. The Wild Cat, its establishment and moreover its long and successful run, has challenged the pass first offense. Could teams soon be building an entire offense around single-wing principles? Will David Lee soon coach the Jacksonville Jaguars and tutor Tim Tebow to NFL dominance?

A less farfetched impact of White excelling down the stretch is how it will affect the NFL draft. If White excels in Miami, tweener quarterbacks that can run a single wing could be a hot commodity in next year's draft. I love innovation and innovation is part of what I love about the NFL. I want White to achieve 100+ total yards tonight.

Seattle Seahawks One in Five Shot of Not Being Lynched by Their Own Tracheas

2009-11-19T22:54:54Z

More photos » by Hannah Foslien - AP

Makes me want to swig ipecac so I may vomit all over my laptop.

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This is the part of the week when Brian Burke releases his objective projections and I muddy everything with opinions. Burke projects Seattle as pronounced underdogs. I am aghast to read this. Seattle is a juggernaut just finding its oars. It's a wakened monster about to rain Justin Forsett all over the Metrodome. Oh bow before us Land of a 10,000 Mosquito Ponds!

The Seahawks have one chance of not being defenestrated from the top floor of Capella tower.

Brett Favre.

If the Seahawks can somehow stop Adrian Peterson - scoff if you will, Peterson is the type of boom or bust back that Seattle has been able to shut down - it needs only Favre to provide some Favre magic for Seattle to upset. Favre is primarily a play action quarterback now, and without the run game chugging, he can be exposed.

I would have a little more confidence if someone named Colin Cole was not matching across someone named Steve Hutchinson. Perhaps, if nothing else, this is the game that dooms Cole to the bench. Or maybe Hutch will do us a solid and drive block Cole back to Green Bay. The Packers could use a nose tackle. Cole is awfully heavy.

Bills Sign Brohm

2009-11-19T06:32:46Z

30+ teams have passed on Brian Brohm. He was a highly ranked high school recruit*, a successful college quarterback at an overmatched program, that fell, fell, to the second round. The Bills acquire him for asking. Brohm turned 24 September 23. The Bills are his second team in two seasons. The Bills are in diseray. Brohm could be quarterbacking a simplified offense before the season is out.

I swear, if the Toronto Bills have a better quarterback than Seattle in 2010, this is going to be the scene at the VMAC, August 2011.

Enter...

bust some VMAC security ass...

and then...

Riki-Oh Ruskell.

I know a number of you will resort to the "if ... then something must be wrong with Brohm" argument. While this coincides with truth, it is not, in fact, a logical statement. You can not prove something with something you do not know.

*His 26 on the SAT may be cause for alarm.

P.S. - Please, please allow me to believe he's bad or unwilling to sign with Seattle.

Fans are Stupid, Myself Included

2009-11-19T03:18:09Z

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Fanatics cheer a stoning.

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Sometimes I do stupid things like click on Yahoo links. I did that a second ago and followed it to a Boing Boing article about Demi Moore and her supposed photoshopping. The link interested me because I have done touch up work before, and because the story was presented as, wait on it, the WORST Photoshop Ever. It's not. As one Boing Boing commenter pointed out, it might not even be a mistake. Her sarong bulges from her upper hip, but that could be Moore's pose. She clearly has a hip cocked.

My point: It sure looks like Darnell Dockett did something malicious and unsportsmanlike to Matt Hasselbeck, but it sure as hell is hard to know. Sometimes it's best to channel that gut outrage into inquiry.

I watch a lot of football. NFL officials are wont to error. Big surprise, huh? On the big scorecard, NFL officials are miles ahead of the casual fan in assessing penalties. I rarely, rarely find a truly bogus call.

The NFL and its officials are bound to the bottom line, and the bottom line loves fairness. Fairness creates parity and parity made the NFL. Fairness keeps games competitive and fans excited about the outcome. The NFL is the most successful sports league in the United States. It is wildly popular and profitable. The gains it would receive by fixing a game, a season, a Super Bowl, are tiny compared to the risk entailed.

Most times, a mistake is a mistake. The officials are not biased or corrupted. Maybe Dockett did something dirty and no one saw it at the time. Maybe it wasn't dirty. Fans of all stripes have become habitual victims, sure their team is screwed over on travel schedules, penalties and primetime games. I embrace skepticism but not cynicism. Next time something looks questionable, off or wrong, try giving the officials the benefit of the doubt. The impartial professional, standing feet from the play, that is as expert in his field as the players at football, might just be right, and we, the partial fanatics, sitting at home and maybe a little buzzed, might just be wrong.

Justin Forsett's Untouched Touchdown Run and Other First Quarter Notes

2009-11-18T23:46:10Z

Matt Hasselbeck threw the ball 38 to 40 yards in the air to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Dick Stockton said that his shoulder and rib injuries had previously prevented Hasselbeck from airing it out. That's an interesting point. The pass was high angled and accurate, but slow. The angle gave Housh the best shot at catching it and unlike some Hasselbeck deep passes, it did not succeed solely because the defender did not anticipate it. Part of the value of the deep pass, beyond the inherent yardage, is that a deep pass can isolate a receiver on a defensive back, even a safety. 40 yards is not always enough to accomplish that isolation. Instead, a 40-yard pass risks arriving just as the safety and corner converge. However if Hasselbeck could consistently throw the ball 40 yards with as much arc and accuracy as he did this pass, it would open a whole new element to Seattle's passing attack. If injury prevents Hasselbeck from achieving even a 40 yard deep pass, then like Shaun Alexander before him, we are not dealing with one quarterback, but a potential and a beat-up reality.
Max Unger had perhaps his best game as a pro.
Justin Forsett was better at finding holes against Arizona than Julius Jones has been at finding holes against any opponent. We will see if that is Forsett or the line. In 2007, fans complained about Seattle's offensive line, claiming it could not open holes for Alexander. I countered that Alexander was slow enough and hesitant enough into the hole that good holes were wasted and anything but a good hole was certain lost yardage. I am not ready to say the same of Jones, but I am ready to say Forsett looks more forgiving.
He walked almost untouched into the end zone. It was zone blocking at its best. The play turned on three factors: the line call, John Carlson's ability to contain the end and Ray Willis' ability to dominate a linebacker. The line call directed Willis to pull straight ahead and engage and shove the Cardinals inside linebacker towards the right sideline. Carlson took on the end and held him long enough for Force to hit and run through the hole. Justin Griffith hit the hole and punished the defender's overpursuit, blocking the left outside linebacker right and extending the hole. From there Forsett was able to run north-south and behind Willis into the end zone.
The run featured end around motion that drew the corner away from the play.
I should count how often Colin Cole is shoved three or more yards back from the line of scrimmage. Brandon Mebane subbed out for the fourth play of the Cardinals second drive. Cole was shoved back three yards and through the resulting hole, Tim Hightower rushed almost untouched for eight. Hightower gets eight. Adrian Peterson batters his way to a touchdown.
Forsett's smallness shows itself in surprising situations. I noticed he struggled to fight his way through and pull out to receive. He's powerful for his size, but 190 is 190.
Seattle stopped Arizona at the one and scored on the ensuing drive. Marcus Trufant powered into and under the fullback to stack the pile and stop Hightower. It was an impressive display of stoutness from a corner. The unheralded catalyst was Cory Redding. Redding drove off the snap and churning, twisting and eventually running backwards, drove into the Cardinals right side, forcing the rush outside and disorganizing the offensive right. The big man got low and leveraged his way into the pile like a defensive tackle.
Louis Rankin was bowled over attempting to pull out on a screen right. Hasselbeck threw it towards his downed body.

Sean Locklear Survives the First Quarter

2009-11-18T22:59:00Z

You all hankering for some Sean Locklear love? Didn't think so. Locklear did not have a very good first quarter. He wasn't moving well and was routinely overpowered by Calais Campbell. Campbell is enjoying a sophomore surge, so I do not discount the level of competition, but routinely beat is no way to play left tackle.

Locklear looked a touch gimpy to me. The significance of the contest might have forced him into action a week too early. He'll face an elite competitor next week. Jared Allen could expose a never nude. Locklear does not need to beat Allen to be good, but he does need to stand toe-to-toe against his divisional foes.

My notes start when Fox deigned to switch from its morning publicity stunt to an actual contest: Seattle's second offensive drive. Lock started with an okay mirror slide. He was slow shading blitzing linebackers but compensated by grounding them at their turn point. He was able to pancake the Cardinals linebackers with ease, but only after they pressured the edge.

Lock was at his best run blocking. He showed good power and ability to stand up and redirect his man. He also moved well enough if slower than usual. His greatness weakness was handling Campbell's inside move. Locklear was twice beat to his inside shoulder.

Overall, in twelve snaps, I have Locklear down for: Three failed blocks, two good jumps off the snap, two knock down blocks, one turn, one missed assignment, one great cut block and a handful of mixed plays.

3-6-SEA 43 (12:07) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 41 for -2 yards (53-C.Haggans).

2009-11-18T06:17:09Z

3-6-SEA 43 (12:07) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 41 for -2 yards (53-C.Haggans).

A lot of people have asked about this. Above is the official highlight showing Clark Haggans sack Matt Hasselbeck and Darnell Dockett shove his forearm and elbow into the downed Hasselbeck's chest and throat.

That's all observable fact. What we do not know: the force Dockett shoved Hasselbeck with; Dockett's intention; Why Hasselbeck chose to run; how much the NFL will fine Dockett.

Meet Xavier Omon

2009-11-18T02:18:48Z

More photos » by David Richard - AP

Bison Xavier Omon powers through two Oil Derrick tacklers.

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Xavier Omon tore up Division II college football. In four seasons, he led the Bearcats to four national title games, losing all four. Omon wasn't a player I tracked, but from my brief viewing, he has good footwork, good power, good decisiveness, a good first and second gear, and no third gear to speak of. That sounds like the running back I expected Edgerrin James to be.

Decide for yourself:

Meet Tyson Alualu

2009-11-18T01:56:23Z

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Tyson thanks the Big Guy for his ability to legally assault pretty-boy bras.

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Since we are talking about optimizing Seattle's defensive line, let's look at a talent it could add to help that process: Tyson Alualu. Alualu is a four-year contributor and 36 game starter. He has played mostly end at Cal, but is built like a three-tech tackle. He has a great frame and overall build. My writing that may surprise some. Alualu is not hulking like Taylor Mays or cut like Patrick Kerney, but instead has broad shoulders, wide hips and smooth musculature. It's a frame that could add weight with ease and will add muscle with age.

He has five sacks and six tackles for a loss this season and 20.5 and 14.5 for his career. Alualu (pronounced Ah-loo Ah-loo) is a good mix of young, experienced and peaking at the right time. Note: The below was created before his monster senior season. Alualu is #44.

Jordan Kent signs with St. Louis.

2009-11-18T00:33:41Z

Jordan Kent signs with St. Louis.

I still wish him well and hope he sticks in the NFL.

Brandon Mebane in the First Quarter and the Optimal Defensive Line, Pt. 2

2009-11-17T23:38:26Z

Mebane should have Cole's job. The decision to restructure the line around Colin Cole was stupid when made and has led to predictable results. Seattle's third down stand, in which Tapp knifed through Mike Gandy and tackled Wells in the back field, is a great example of how important Mebane was to Seattle. Mebane was on the right, beside Tapp where he belonged. Cole was on the left. Seattle was in a five man front, but Mebane was still double teamed of the snap. It was an ugly, but effective display. He hit his blockers low, getting topped and dropped, but holding ground and most importantly, freeing Tapp. Tapp took apart his single block and used his great inside move to come free to the ball carrier.

Mebane had two more nice looking pass rush moves, but neither effectively freed him. He hustled into a play off end and forced the near interception by Marcus Trufant. Mebane was good, good enough to make those around him better, but not as good as he has been at the one-tech. Cole needs to be worked down in the rotation. His presence stops Seattle from starting an optimal line.

That idea was on my mind as I notated Mebane's day: The Seattle Seahawks optimal, starting defensive line. This season is about next season and this offseason about adding talent where it's needed. Seattle traded for a three tech in his prime and turned him into a defensive end. It's not a bad idea, but with Lawrence Jackson's development, Seattle has options at end. Redding should bulk back up and move inside. He has the motor, length and repertoire of rush moves to be a very good inside pass rusher, but he isn't contributing much from the outside. Mebane should bulk up and reassume the one-tech. Cole would be his rotational partner, what he always should have been, a better Howard Green.

The key to forming this line is complementary skills. Mebane has helped free Jackson, but Jackson is not a great pass rusher. Mebane should be keeping blockers off Tapp. Redding's major weakness is getting high in his stance and subsequently pushed back. Jackons pairs nicely with him because Jackson is very stout for an end and a very good run defender. When Redding sags back, Jackson can drive his man into the hole, narrow it, and even disengage and make the tackle. Seattle might cede some stoutness in the middle, but it fields an elite corps of linebackers. Building this defense to defend the run has, predictably, done just that. When it must defend the pass, be it third and long or playing ahead, it has crumbled.

Seattle could add interior line talent through the draft. A player like Tyson Aluala is a natural complement to Mebane. It doesn't need to though. I think Redding wants to stay and if Seattle can pony the bucks, he will. He shouldn't be outrageously expensive. Concerns about health have passed. He has appeared once on the injury report and not for a knee or groin, but a shoulder. Seattle can not continue to sink over $20 million into Walter Jones, Matt Hasselbeck and Patrick Kerney. The Seahawks could retain their best talent and be players in free agency with that money.

We have months before those decisions are made. Until then, Seattle needs to stir things up and experiment. It needs to test roles and figure out its offseason needs. Seattle had the right game plan against Warner, but used the wrong personnel. It can't start Cory Redding - Brandon Mebane - Colin Cole - Patrick Kerney and expect a persistent pass rush. That line features, arguably, two to three players that are below average pass rushers for their position. And yet, by moving Redding inside and Mebane over center, the resulting Lawrence Jackson - Cory Redding - Brandon Mebane - Darryl Tapp line has three, even four above average pass rushers for their position.

Jim Mora said he was encouraged despite the loss. I would be more encouraged if Seattle did something about the loss. Seattle had zero sacks. It continues to excel against the run, but at what cost? The NFL is a passing league. The Seahawks have a great linebacker corps and three corners that can tackle. It shouldn't need to optimize its line for run stuffing, but it nearly has. It can allow long runs and win. It allowed over 200 yards to Frank Gore, but would have been in the thick of it against San Francisco if not for Matt Hasselbeck's injury. It can not allow another quarterback to sit back and pick apart its zones. Seattle shot of the gates like a contender, but without pass rush, it crumbled, allowing Kurt Warner to become just the latest quarterback to fatten up against the Seahawks zones.

Brandon Mebane in the First Quarter and the Optimal Defensive Line, Pt. 1

2009-11-17T23:05:46Z

More photos » by Ross Franklin - AP

Seattle took an early lead and implemented a smart strategy to defend Kurt Warner. The scheme was right, but the personnel wrong. It has the talent to field an above average pass rushing line, but it needs to sit Colin Cole.

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Has Brandon Mebane struggled to transition to the three tech? That is something I will explore deeper this week, but if he hasn't struggled, nor has he proven himself the force he was at the one tech.

Seattle has three players that are nominal three techs: Mebane, Cory Redding and Craig Terrill. Redding plays end, but is very much more a 3-4 end than a traditional 4-3 end. He influences and collapses the pocket rather than disengages and makes plays. He just isn't quick enough to edge rush and though he has been good and great at what he does, he hasn't provided much pass rush. Terrill is the standard organizational soldier type that is in turns under- and overappreciated. Seattle could upgrade but does not have to upgrade.

It has two one-tech types: Colin Cole and Red Bryant. Cole is the most reliable of the two and one of the most active tackles in Seattle's rotation. He can square against most single blocks, but that's his skill set almost in its entirety. Three tech used to be the feature tackle position in a 4-3, but the proliferation of 3-4 schemes has made the nose position in demand and three tech types less popular.

Signing Cole was a mistake. He hasn't proven much as a Seahawk and his ridiculous contract practically forces Seattle to start him. When Seattle needed its front four to provide pressure, it was exposed. Seattle's ends are average. Lawrence Jackson is developing, but is unlikely to ever be a great pass rusher. Darryl Tapp is a good speed rusher, but aside Cole, he isn't getting the one-on-one matchups he thrives against. Patrick Kerney still has burst around the edge, but his spate of injuries have sapped his upper body strength and he is as much a situational pass rusher now as Nick Reed. It's a nice foundation, but it won't strike fear into this season's opponents.

Seattle had a better front four last season, even minus Kerney. Mebane was a better one-tech than Cole, and though Rocky Bernard had little left to give, Mebane and Bernard were better collectively than Mebane and Cole. Mebane is supposed to be making plays and Cole stuffing tacklers, but Cole can't and so Mebane is again doing both. Bane does not get off blocks exceptionally well and his pass rush arsenal isn't developed. He established himself in this league as the type of punishing bull rusher that two blockers struggled to stop.

Anatomically, it's easy to see why: Mebane has an exceptionally low center of gravity, gets lower in his stance than almost anyone and erupts off the snap with such violence that many blockers are beat before they can defend themselves. As a three, a popular way of combating Mebane's explosiveness and exceptional leverage is to fade and draw his weight from over his feet. He gets ahead of himself, so to speak, and can be blocked whence unbalanced.

My notes on Mebane are mostly positive. He ran through a pulling blocker and tackled Beanie Wells for a loss of four at the start of the Cardinals second drive. He then played nose twice in a three man rush and performed ably, but wasn't able to separate. That's the problem for Brandon: He is great off the snap, but he does not consistently separate from blockers. As a one tech, Mebane was able to collapse the pocket into the quarterback and bull rush into sacks. As a three tech, he needs to be able to fight off a single block and show quickness to the ball carrier. That might not be within Mebane's ability.

'Hawks release Devin Moore, sign Xavier Omon to PS.

2009-11-17T22:56:30Z

'Hawks release Devin Moore, sign Xavier Omon to PS.

Matt Hasselbeck and Brady Quinn Have Cost Myoplex Millions - Open Thread

2009-11-17T00:49:52Z

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Without his Myoplex muscles, Matt Hasselbeck would struggle to tackle defenders.

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"Now we're done."

Indeed.

This is a Monday Night Football thread for those who wish not to end their week with one of the great regular season games of all time, but a contest as destitute, toxic and impoverished as Cleveland itself.

Field Gulls Mod-enforced Rules and Standards

2009-11-16T23:57:13Z

The following is the final set of rules and regulations decided upon by the community of Field Gulls.

Zero Tolerance

Abuse of the following rules will lead to immediate banning, possibly without chance of reinstatement.

Sexism, Racism or other Bigotry: MTV raised you right. You know better than to use "gay" in the pejorative. Cull the sexist, hate-filled slang from your vocabulary or expect an immediate ban.

Name Calling: Except to call Scruffy "Lance". He likes that. This has never been a problem here, but for the sake of comprehensiveness, let it be known that name calling of any kind will not be tolerated.

Spam: One and you're done.

Hoaxes: False headlines used to capture attention will be rewarded with a deletion of the post and a banning. Misreported news of any kind is not allowed.

Standards

Mods will enforce standards through a three strike system: correction, warning and finally banning. Mods will not punish innocent errors, but habitual abuse.

Links: A link must be provided for all news and quoted material.

Spelling and Grammar: The readers of Field Gulls are Field Gulls. Therefore you are held to basic editorial standards. Commenters must attempt proper spelling and grammar within the best of their ability. Many internet browsers have a spell check included.

Subject Line: The subject line is the small box above the body of a comment. SBN software requires this box be used. Use it.

Reply: The reply button is below and to the right of a posted comment. It's a wonderful organization and communication tool. Use it.

Site Etiquette

Site etiquette is to be enforced at the moderators discretion. It is a catch all for behavior not explicitly covered by the above rules that can be abusive to the site, those who contribute to the site and its readers.

Belligerence, Fault finding and Trollish behavior: Rudeness can be couched in the nicest words and divisive and destructive commenting can be framed as civil discussion. Persistent negative comments, thread-jacking, fault finding, petty correction, stubborn ignorance or illogic, meanness, calls to perfection, refusal to drop an argument, unfounded claims of prejudice and other acts of self-importance will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Respect the moderators.

Never root against the Seahawks.

Fantasy discussion is for the weekly fantasy post: Fantasy comments outside of the post may be met with sarcasm.

Rosterbation: Fanposts containing logical, supported and novel roster moves are accepted, even endorsed. Fanposts that propose farfetched trades, signings, schemes or that endorse exhausted topics (ie Michael Vick, Mike Holmgren, the officiating of Super Bowl XL, etc) are not allowed.

Chat Speak: Acceptable in moderation, but "+1", "LOL" and "roflcopter" should not be stand alone comments.