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2018 SEAHAWKS SPECIAL SECTION
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Friday, August 17, 2018 RENTON REPORTER
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Carroll, Hawks looking for draft picks to step up into key roles As Seahawks fans know, Pete Carroll can get excited reading the ingredients on a box of hash browns. But after the first exhibition game of 2018, his excitement, despite a 19-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, sounded tinged with a little desperation. “Look at all the young guys,” he said. “The young guys did really well. The draft picks were all involved with doing good stuff tonight. They have been looking that way in practice as well, so it’s not really a surprise, it’s just really pleasing to see that it showed up at game time. That’s very promising for us.” Carroll was mostly right. The sample size was small, but LB Shaquem Griffin, DB Tre Flowers, RB Rashaad Penny, DE Rasheem Green, TE Will Dissly, even punter Michael Dickson, had quality moments. But at least part of Carroll’s enthusiasm to sell the new guys to the world stemmed from the many failures of their predecessors. On the 90-man training camp roster, the Seahawks have no one from their 2013 draft, C Justin Britt from their 2014 class, DE Frank Clark and WR Tyler Lockett from their 2015 class and six from 2016 — RT Germain Ifedi, DT Jarran Reed, RB C.J. Prosise, TE Nick Vannett, OG Rees Odhiambo and C Joey Hunt. In that group, only Reed has been a solid starter. So that’s four solid starters from four drafts. Terrible. That’s a big part of why Carroll pushed the Seahawks into crisis mode during the off-season, firing six assistant coaches and shedding expensive, damaged stars such as Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett. While it’s true that the 9-7 record of the 2017 Seahawks was only a few made Blair Walsh field goals from 11-5, the converse is also true. The Seahawks would have been 7-9 or 6-10 except for the one-man miracle show put on by QB Russell Wilson. Carroll understood Wilson’s trickerations were unsustainable. He also understood the Seahawks slid into the great mediocre middle of the NFL in large part due to the mid-decade draft failures that provided few successors to the great drafts of2010, 2011 and 2012. So he’s really counting on the draft classes of 2017 and 2018 to deliver multiple quality starters to keep Seattle competitive in the suddenly ruthless NFC West. The plan has already taken a huge blow with the loss of 2017’s top pick, DT Malik McDowell. He was waived in July after failing to return to NFL health following an ATV accident a year earlier that left him with a severe concussion. The freakish development was unforseeable, except that scouting reports on the ultra-talented McDowell warned of his immaturity and a suspect sense of accountability. As with the expensive 2014 trade to acquire veteran WR Percy Harvin, the Seahawks took a gamble they could “fix” a supremely talented player and lost. Most every team has a similar story or two, but that’s also part of why the NFL has so
many persistently ordinary teams. The Seahawks shall be among them in 2018 — particularly with the holdout of star FS Earl Thomas likely going to midseason — unless the most recent two draft classes produce a couple of stars and several reliable starters. Here’s the newer guys whose production is most urgently needed for the Seahawks to get to nine or 10 wins needed to return to the playoffs. FS Tedric Thompson — He played only eight defensive snaps in his rookie year. The 2017 fourth-round pick from Colorado was among the Pac-12’s top defenders, but he can’t match Thomas’ speed and instincts, because, well, no one can. RB Rashaad Penny — The plan is to use the NCAA’s rushing leader from San Diego State in tandem with returnee Chris Carson two 230-pounders to give the run game a power punch that endures from the first quarter to the fourth. He’s only the third running back to draw a No. 1 selection out of the Seahawks, following Shaun Alexander and Curt Warner. CB Shaquill Griffin — The best player from the ‘17 class already started nine games a year ago and steps into Sherman’s spot in left corner. He has the football smarts and the athleticism to be above the NFL average at the position. CB Tre Flowers — Long and lean like Sherman, the rookie played safety at Oklahoma State, yet did well starting at right corner in the exhibition opener opposite Griffin in place of injured vet Byron Maxwell. He’s so raw that he may not be ready this season. RT Germain Ifedi — The NFL’s most-penalized player last season with 20 (the runner-up had 13), Ifedi’s ability in his third year to mature into the job and become a better blocker in apace is critical for Carroll’s run-game upgrades to succeed. If he fails, he joins McDowell as crucial top-pick busts under GM John Schneider. TE Will Dissly — A lineman three years ago at Washington, Dissly has drawn raves from coaches and teammates for his pass catching ability that is a bonus over his expected skill in run-blocking. The injury absence of free agent signee Ed Dickson,31, means Dissly is getting a great shot to show he can start as a rookie. WR Amara Darboh — Some tall young guy has to step up to fill a big void at the position, and Darboh was a third-roundpick in ‘17 from Michigan. So far there’s been glimpses, but nothing that indicates he’s going to be an immediate reliable option behind Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett. If most of these guys reach close to their potential in 2018, the Seahawks will surprise the doubters. But if most implode, as have many of their predecessors, Carroll and Schneider will have a profound reckoning, especially with Wilson entering his contract year in 2019. And you thought the past off-season was discombobulating. Art Thiel is co-founder of sportspressnw.com
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Representing the Seattle Seahawks, Renton resident and 12th man, Dave Ek was inducted into the Pro Football’s Ultimate Fan Association Aug. 5. Ek’s induction into the association was held in Canton, Ohio the day after the Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony. He was among 13 other fans from across the NFL who were inducted into the association this year. During their time in Ohio, the inductees participated in a number of different events from the Play Football First Play event, the Canton Repository Grand Parade and a charity event at the J. Babe Stearn Community Center. The Pro Football’s Ultimate Fan Association was founded in 1999 and in 2010 was designated a nonprofit. There are nearly 200 active members representing all 32 teams. According to a release, “the group’s mission is to promote the fellowship of all fans, encourage sportsmanship and support charitable activities.”
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Renton man inducted into Fan Association
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2018 New Teacher’s Breakfast Wed., August 22, 2018 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM Renton Technical College 3000 NE 4th St, Renton, WA 98056
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