Offense
Tarvaris Jackson – I would write “QB Battle” here, but there really isn’t one at the moment. So, with Jackson pretty much handed the job at this point, watch him.
In particular, how quickly does he get the ball out? This version of the West Coast Offense should yield a fair amount of 3-step and 5-step drops, whereby the ball is coming out quickly and decisively. Now, to expect things to be completely smooth and rhythmic after just a week of everyone practicing together would be asking a bit much.
Most importantly, at the snap, Jackson needs to be scanning the field, and keeping his eyes down field. Even if he ends up throwing the ball away, he needs to get into a rhythm of snap, drop, look (not “lock”, by the way) and throw. How long does he stand in the pocket? It’s great that the guy can run, but it’s not great if that’s his first tendency. He needs to trust the guys up front (each of which has never played with any of the others, by the way), step up in the pocket, see the field and then make his decision. If he’s zeroing in on a single target from the snap and trying to force the ball to that guy without seeing the field….dislike.
Most importantly though, how does he progress through the game? Jackson and the offense may start out sluggish. In fact, they probably should (although coaches would never tell you this) considering the limited time they’ve had together. But do things become more fluid as the game progresses?
Finally, look at Jackson’s accuracy. Timing routes such as slants, quick outs, hitches and digs require that the ball come out before the receiver is in position to make the catch, and often times before the receiver has gotten his head around to look for the ball. Thus, the ball needs to be out in front of the receiver to where he can catch it in stride. Receivers are still learning the route tree of this offense as well, so if the ball is off the mark, it may very well be a mis-timed break by the receiver that causes it. Jackson has a history of release-point issues that cause throws to float high. Look for that as well.
Apply same analysis to all QBs.
The Rookies Up Front – Keep an eye on starting rookie O-linemen John Moffitt (RG) and James Carpenter (RT), particularly in pass protection. These guys have the toolbox to develop into dominant run blockers, but there have been questions from day one surrounding their ability to slide laterally and move their feet to pass protect. How quick do they come off the snap and get their hands up into the chest of the rusher they’re blocking? Are they getting punched back off the line, or are they winning at the point of attack and getting their feet back behind them, keeping their backs flat (rather than bending or overextending) and arms extended? Moffitt had some challenges in college when pass protecting, as his feet would stop moving laterally when he would engage with a rusher. He needs to continue sliding to stay in front of his rusher rather than relying solely on upper body strength to keep his opponent at bay. Carpenter needs to maintain distance between his feet when sliding and keep his shoulders square to his opponent. It looks as simple as staying in front of the pass rusher, mirroring his movement. It’s just not that simple, especially when adjusting to the speed of the NFL game. Don’t panic if these two struggle early on. It’s normal, and does not mean they won’t eventually get it. Look for improvement in the coming weeks.
As for their run blocking, the most important thing that Tom Cable will be looking for is decisiveness. This is a zone scheme, so a lineman’s ability to come off the snap and decisively target his opponent is key. Especially when a guard like Moffitt is pulling and getting out in front of the ball carrier. In a zone scheme, he won’t necessarily know who he’ll be blocking until he closes on his assigned area, at which point he’ll need to block according to scheme and be decisive about who he engages. They’re each blocking an area, and with the speed at which this game moves, it won’t always be 100% clear who they’re supposed to block. If they make a mistake, then they should make it decisively. What you don’t want to see is a guy running around without fully committing to a block. So most importantly, they need to be decisive in their blocks and sustain those blocks. Even if they’re the wrong blocks for the time being. You’ll probably hear Tom Cable at some point talk about “targeting” and how he’s looking at how quickly these guys “target” off the snap.
WR Depth Battles - The top 4 WR spots are all but owned at this point, by Sidney Rice, Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu and Golden Tate, with the latter two interchangeable to some degree. It’s at the 5th and 6th spots where there should be some engaging battles taking place. Rookie Kris Durham is probably currently slated as the 5th guy, and guys like Isaiah Stanback and UDFA rookies Ricardo Lockette and Doug Baldwin are competing for the 6th and possibly 7th spots. Unfortunately this week, Durham is sitting out with a sore hamstring, so you won’t get to see him in action. However, Lockette and Stanback have both had good starts to camp and Baldwin has flashed some potential as a slot target. Initial scouting reports on Lockette had him as a pure speedster who doesn’t catch with his hands and runs poor routes. However, he’s been plucking the ball outside of his frame in practices, and although raw, has looked to be a capable route runner (granted, against 2nd and 3rd team defenses). Stanback is coming off an injury that ended his ’10 season before it started, but has been a downfield target early in camp. Can he be explosive off the line and make plays after the catch? As for Baldwin, can he find space underneath, work zones and get open? Then, does he use his hands to secure the catch, or does he chest trap the ball? All will need to contribute on special teams to make the roster, so pay attention to who, of these three, makes an impact there.
Deon Butler will likely start the season on the PUP list, and thus he doesn’t currently factor into the mix. When he comes back, he’ll have to work his way up the chart though, as the group has gotten a lot deeper.
Defense
Young DBs – There are a ton. It’s like the Seahawks went out and signed a frat.
Whatever…
Anyway, for the cornerbacks, the key will be how well they can press receivers at the line. Two things to look for in particular here. First, do they win their leverage side?
To the casual viewer, it can look as though a corner is lazily allowing a receiver to pass him at times, when really his job in certain zone schemes is simply to redirect that receiver to either the inside (toward middle of the field) or to the ouside (sideline) where they’ll be picked up by a linebacker or safety in zone coverage. Thus, the goal here if you’re the cornerback is to win that leverage side and direct the receiver into the proper zone. Turns out it’s not as easy to do this when your DBs could have a “who’s taller” contest with Muggsy Bogues, so the ‘Hawks have gone a long way to grow this secondary.
Rookies Richard Sherman (6’3, 195lbs), Byron Maxwell (6’1, 205lbs) and UDFA Ron Parker (6’0, 205lbs) have all had impressive moments in camp, and former CFL star Brandon Browner (6’4, 221lbs) has taken some reps with the first team, opposite Marcus Trufant. Kennard Cox also returns from last season and with his special teams play, could be in competition with the aforementioned group of youngsters. All of these guys give you a physical presence at the line and enhance the ability of the secondary to control receivers off the snap – something that only Trufant has flashed the ability to do over the last few years.
In addition to winning the leverage side, look for corners who are active with their hands in jamming receivers off the line and sustaining that contact through the first 5 yards. It’s one thing to put your hands on a guy, it’s another to inflict an explosive punch to the receiver’s chest that disrupts the timing of his route and knocks him off course, then continue said activity past the initial punch. Pete Carroll is looking for guys who are relentless with their punch and who jam with a ton of energy.
Once past the jam, the DBs ability to turn and run with the receiver and mirror him on routes would be the next attribute to look for, as well as timing to close and make plays on the ball. But the weight of importance is definitely distributed much heavier on what happens in the first five yards, off the snap.
As for the safeties, you probably don’t need to worry much about Earl Thomas. With the amount of ground he can cover sideline-to-sideline, and with how quickly his instincts are developing, he should only improve as time goes on. Look for him to rotate into slot corner on multiple-receiver sets, and keep the top on the defense against the vertical attack.
Kam Chancellor will be interesting to watch as he now assumes the starting strong safety role. Look at the angles he takes on runs to the outside. Also look at how quickly he reads and reacts to passes in front of him as well as those down the sideline which require him to transition from backpedal to sprint. Is he behind/late on those? On plays in front of him, how quick is his first step to close on the ball? Does he time his close to arrive when the ball arrives, or only in time to tackle the receiver after the catch? Most importantly is he decisive or does he look lost in space? Is he committing and does he know his assignment, or does he appear confused?
Others to watch are safety Mark LeGree (rookie out of App. St. ), Josh Pinkard (converted to safety) who some feel could be a guy to replace Jordan Babineaux as that hybrid cornerback/safety with the ability to play multiple positions.
D-Line – There have been notable changes here. Brandon Mebane is now back at the 1 Technique (nose tackle) where he started his career and has had the majority of his success so far. Alan Branch was signed in free agency to come in and take over for Mebane at the 3 Technique spot. Branch will be the guy to pay particular attention to here.
As the 3 Technique, Branch will need to bring a more explosive presence to the position than Mebane did. He’s got to get off the snap quickly, use his hands violently to beat his blocker, and ultimately penetrate the line to get upfield and pressure the quarterback. It’s this initial burst that Mebane simply doesn’t possess strongly enough to play the position at a high level. What Mebane does do well is anchor and hold the line at the point of attack and as a nose tackle, that’s his primary job. Let’s watch how well those two work together. You’ll see veterans Junior Siavii, Ryan Sims and Jay Alford rotate in throughout the game as well (at both positions). Kentwan Balmer has a stinger and will sit this one out.
At the edges, with Red Bryant and Kentwan Balmer both inactive, look for Siavii and possibly Jimmy Wilkerson to play early at the 5-technique spot (left DE). UDFA rookie Pierre Allen and 7th rounder Lazarius Levingston could also factor into the mix here. The 5 technique needs to hold the point of attack and plug the running lanes along that side of the line. There’s a 2-gap assignment requiring the end to have vision into the backfield and anticipate whether the runner is going off tackle (outside the tackle) or running the gap between guard and tackle (B gap). These guys are assigned to both gaps.
Chris Clemons will start at right DE (LEO), and there will be some heavy competition to back him up, between Raheem Brock, returning from a 9 sack performance in ’10, Wilkerson, Dexter Davis and possibly Jameson Konz. These guys have to show they can get off the ball quickly, beat the offensive tackle to the edge, and either bend to get around the corner or make a quick move back to the inside. They also need to be able to disengage from their blocker as they close on the QB. It will also be interesting to see if any of the young linebackers get reps at the LEO.
Hopefully I’m not getting too technical here…but I have people ask me about this stuff a lot, so why not throw it in?
What I’ll be looking at the hardest along the D-line will be Branch at that 3 Technique spot. This has been a huge weakness for Seattle over the past few years and has directly impacted the ability of the defensive backs to shut down a passing game.
Lofa-less Linebacking Corps – Lofa Tatupu is gone. David Hawthorne now moves back to the position that is clearly the most natural for him, at middle linebacker. Will Herring is gone. Leroy Hill, miraculously, is not. Therefore, Hill will man the starting weakside linebacker position (where Hawthorne and Herring played last year), and Aaron Curry will continue to play up on the line and over the tight end, at strong side linebacker. Curry needs to make plays, and show the consistency that has evaded him since he came into the league.
I’m most interested to see how Leroy Hill looks after pretty much taking a year off, and struggling to stay on the field for a couple of seasons now, in the wake of legal troubles and nagging injuries. Truth is, the guy was on his way to becoming a Pro Bowl caliber ‘backer and at 28, he doesn’t have much time to make that happen. What he may still have, however, is the upside and ability to do so. Specifically, I’m going to watch the speed at which he plays and his decision making in space. How well does he maintain zone discipline, particularly against the run where he used to have a knack for over-running his zone. How well does he cover in zone? Does he trail receivers too long and abandon his assigned area in the process? Will he blitz, and if so, does he still possess the elite closing speed that got him to 7.5 sacks his rookie year?
As for the younger group, I’m going to have my eye on rookie K.J. Wright (6’3, 246lbs), who has been taking reps at both weakside linebacker and middle linebacker. The ‘Hawks are clear in their intent to find guys who can play multiple positions and Wright’s instincts could get him playing time at both spots. Not to mention his long arms and nice burst just might make him a consideration at the LEO position. Seventh-round pick Malcolm Smith (6’0, 228lbs) and UDFA rookie Michael Morgan (6’3, 230lbs), both USC alums, have impressed early in camp. Smith’s speed and agility and flashes of a knack for making plays on the ball will earn him some time on the weak side, and Morgan should see time behind Curry. Morgan has length and burst that you want to see in a guy playing up on the line, and he was particularly strong against the run in college. Matt McCoy will get some time in the middle.
All of the young guys need to show on special teams. This is where the battles for a roster spot will be won….at all positions really. So watch special teams too.
These obviously aren’t the only interesting things to keep an eye on, but they top my list for this first game. Prepare for the depth chart and roster to change considerably between now and the end of preseason, and don’t read too deeply into the playing time distribution this first week. Every team has a different philosophy and methodology for evaluating players throughout camp.
A quick few others I’m looking forward to watching:
Josh Portis – QB – UDFA rookie who has been impressive with his arm strength and instincts early in camp. Will get playing time.
Zach Hurd – OG/T – UDFA rookie who was graded as a 5th-7th rounder by some scouts coming into the 2011 draft, before going unpicked and signing with the ‘Hawks. He’s another road-grader type in the run game and could push for a backup spot along the line.
Paul Fanaika – OG – Another guy who has drawn some praise early in camp and has even been mentioned as possible competition to start at RG.
Battle at Kicker - Jeff Reed and Brandon Coutu are both capable kickers. Will youth or experience win out, here? The kickoff line has been moved up to the 35, so watch to see if Coutu still struggles to get the ball into the end zone.
What will you be watching for?
Enjoy!
