kearly
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Something I find to be increasingly true every year is that Pete Carroll is a believer in acquiring talent to fit specific roles. Whether it be edge rushers, Red Bryant types, huge corners, and a safety duo that could not be any more specialized in what they do. On offense, he's had guys like Takuafu and Coleman at FB, and they could not be any more different.
The reason for this is because Pete would rather have a player who is outstanding in one area even at the expense of other areas as opposed to a well rounded player who is just average. This is partly because these types of players are labeled as misfits by other FO's and makes them a market inefficiency, and it's also because Pete is a brilliant schemer who can hide those player's weaknesses most of the time.
Whenever I look at the draft or free agency, I look at players who are elite in one area but may be lacking in others. The Graham trade didn't shock me at all, because it fit the MO. Graham is really awesome catching the football, especially in the redzone... but not so awesome at blocking. Hey guess what?! That more or less describes the rest of our current TE group as well. Remember when Seattle traded a ton to get Percy Harvin? Was he well rounded? No, but he is one of the most gifted players in NFL history with the ball in his hands. How about when they drafted a 220 lbs. RB who broke the vertical jump record? Did he have issues in other areas? Shit yes. Same thing for guys like Sherman, Kam, and Maxwell.
When I look at Baldwin, I see a WR who's greatest strength might be the scramble drill. He is okay in other areas, but it's the improv side of his game that gives Seattle the most value. When I look at Kearse, I see a WR who is WAAAAY better than he should be on deep targets, a guy Russell trusts like none other on the deep ball. If Kearse did not have this skill, and if Russ didn't need the deep ball to work so badly to inflate his efficiency numbers, Kearse probably would be in the CFL right now. Yet though both Baldwin and Kearse are flawed, Seattle got both in UDFA basically for free, and both have served vital roles when used correctly.
One of the reasons Seattle HAD to give Kearse a decent chunk of money this offseason is because the team's second best deep ball threat after Kearse is a huge dropoff in that specific area. This is why the DGB rumors make a lot of sense to me, and why I think Devin Smith would make a ton of sense as well. Are these guys "complete" WRs? No, but they are awesome in a specific area that our offense is in need of.
I guess the point I'm making is this. To objectively measure any Seahawks contributor as a "complete" player misses the point. Almost every single player on Seattle's roster is a specialist of some kind, right down to the run first OL and rabbit QB. Sometimes going the specialist route will have its growing pains and difficult moments. Even a few ugly failures. But this approach has also quickly made Seattle one of the most effective teams in NFL history. Russ is not a complete QB, but he is a highly effective one. Our WRs are not complete, but when used correctly, they can be effective. And so on.
The reason for this is because Pete would rather have a player who is outstanding in one area even at the expense of other areas as opposed to a well rounded player who is just average. This is partly because these types of players are labeled as misfits by other FO's and makes them a market inefficiency, and it's also because Pete is a brilliant schemer who can hide those player's weaknesses most of the time.
Whenever I look at the draft or free agency, I look at players who are elite in one area but may be lacking in others. The Graham trade didn't shock me at all, because it fit the MO. Graham is really awesome catching the football, especially in the redzone... but not so awesome at blocking. Hey guess what?! That more or less describes the rest of our current TE group as well. Remember when Seattle traded a ton to get Percy Harvin? Was he well rounded? No, but he is one of the most gifted players in NFL history with the ball in his hands. How about when they drafted a 220 lbs. RB who broke the vertical jump record? Did he have issues in other areas? Shit yes. Same thing for guys like Sherman, Kam, and Maxwell.
When I look at Baldwin, I see a WR who's greatest strength might be the scramble drill. He is okay in other areas, but it's the improv side of his game that gives Seattle the most value. When I look at Kearse, I see a WR who is WAAAAY better than he should be on deep targets, a guy Russell trusts like none other on the deep ball. If Kearse did not have this skill, and if Russ didn't need the deep ball to work so badly to inflate his efficiency numbers, Kearse probably would be in the CFL right now. Yet though both Baldwin and Kearse are flawed, Seattle got both in UDFA basically for free, and both have served vital roles when used correctly.
One of the reasons Seattle HAD to give Kearse a decent chunk of money this offseason is because the team's second best deep ball threat after Kearse is a huge dropoff in that specific area. This is why the DGB rumors make a lot of sense to me, and why I think Devin Smith would make a ton of sense as well. Are these guys "complete" WRs? No, but they are awesome in a specific area that our offense is in need of.
I guess the point I'm making is this. To objectively measure any Seahawks contributor as a "complete" player misses the point. Almost every single player on Seattle's roster is a specialist of some kind, right down to the run first OL and rabbit QB. Sometimes going the specialist route will have its growing pains and difficult moments. Even a few ugly failures. But this approach has also quickly made Seattle one of the most effective teams in NFL history. Russ is not a complete QB, but he is a highly effective one. Our WRs are not complete, but when used correctly, they can be effective. And so on.
