Michael Sam

I'm a little right of Franco on social issues but I like the kid. Like his personality and he strikes me as a winner. pending a decent 40 time and showing on agility drills, I think he could help the Hawks out as a swiss army knife type player (slower version of Irvin) situational pass rusher, back up SAM LB and core special teams player. I say pick him up if he's there in the 4th or 5th. What do you guys think?

7th round, he is a dexter Davis type with less athleticism.

I love him as a developmental/ST guy, and be thrilled to see us take him any time from the fifth round on. I'm really curious to see what he weighs in at, and what kind of numbers he puts up in the agility drills.

BHF":2ikijf2j said:

I love him as a developmental/ST guy, and be thrilled to see us take him any time from the fifth round on. I'm really curious to see what he weighs in at, and what kind of numbers he puts up in the agility drills.

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They had him at a robust, per Mayock, 6'2 261lbs! He's got some solid weight, maybe he could shed a little weight to add some speed. IDK, maybe he's a 3-4 LBr but I like the thought about him being a multi-faceted player.

I, on the other hand, am left of...we'll, Barack Obama on social issues, but I admit to now having some concerns on the non-athletic side. Sam being gay is not a "distraction", but having people around him who go out and attack a prospective drafting team, is. The Seahawks weren't on the list that "sources close to" Sam mentioned, but if I were Pete or any other coach I would be asking about that. And it makes me fairly concerned about an otherwise talented player.

Lynch'sLamborghini":smf0brlw said:

I, on the other hand, am left of...we'll, Barack Obama on social issues, but I admit to now having some concerns on the non-athletic side. Sam being gay is not a "distraction", but having people around him who go out and attack a prospective drafting team, is. The Seahawks weren't on the list that "sources close to" Sam mentioned, but if I were Pete or any other coach I would be asking about that. And it makes me fairly concerned about an otherwise talented player.

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Come on who freaking cares, I think the media is the one still fanning the flames on this one. Sam went up there, prepared or not, and answered questions like an everyday dude not an activist. I wish people would just get over this crap and just accept the guy as a football player. I think he has some first step explosion, not elite but still very good, which could make up for him being able to run fast in a straight line at 40 yards. The guy wasn't handed the SEC defensive player of the year based off of some quota-he's a kick ass QB hunter! IMO, i'd like to see him as a Hawk if he's around in the mid rounds for the reasons I stated above.

Hawkalypse":9kc78itw said:

Lynch'sLamborghini":9kc78itw said:

I, on the other hand, am left of...we'll, Barack Obama on social issues, but I admit to now having some concerns on the non-athletic side. Sam being gay is not a "distraction", but having people around him who go out and attack a prospective drafting team, is. The Seahawks weren't on the list that "sources close to" Sam mentioned, but if I were Pete or any other coach I would be asking about that. And it makes me fairly concerned about an otherwise talented player.

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Come on who freaking cares, I think the media is the one still fanning the flames on this one. Sam went up there, prepared or not, and answered questions like an everyday dude not an activist. I wish people would just get over this crap and just accept the guy as a football player. I think he has some first step explosion, not elite but still very good, which could make up for him being able to run fast in a straight line at 40 yards. The guy wasn't handed the SEC defensive player of the year based off of some quota-he's a kick ass QB hunter! IMO, i'd like to see him as a Hawk if he's around in the mid rounds for the reasons I stated above.

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We'll, my concern isn't about him being an activist. I do think he could be a positive addition to the Hawks roster.

Even if his remarks today were "activist", I wouldn't have minded. The concern I have isn't related to his sexuality but is of the more run-of-the-mill variety regarding the people who surround him. I consider it being of a similar vein to Jadeveon Clowney's work ethic or the shenanigans surrounding Eli Manning's entry into the league.

I don't think he's a bad guy by any stretch. I just worry about any player, let alone a likely mid-round pick, who might not be happy for an opportunity to be drafted by any of the 32 teams.

Except for the Browns.

Lynch'sLamborghini":3c0f586z said:

Hawkalypse":3c0f586z said:

Lynch'sLamborghini":3c0f586z said:

I, on the other hand, am left of...we'll, Barack Obama on social issues, but I admit to now having some concerns on the non-athletic side. Sam being gay is not a "distraction", but having people around him who go out and attack a prospective drafting team, is. The Seahawks weren't on the list that "sources close to" Sam mentioned, but if I were Pete or any other coach I would be asking about that. And it makes me fairly concerned about an otherwise talented player.

Click to expand...

Come on who freaking cares, I think the media is the one still fanning the flames on this one. Sam went up there, prepared or not, and answered questions like an everyday dude not an activist. I wish people would just get over this crap and just accept the guy as a football player. I think he has some first step explosion, not elite but still very good, which could make up for him being able to run fast in a straight line at 40 yards. The guy wasn't handed the SEC defensive player of the year based off of some quota-he's a kick ass QB hunter! IMO, i'd like to see him as a Hawk if he's around in the mid rounds for the reasons I stated above.

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We'll, my concern isn't about him being an activist. I do think he could be a positive addition to the Hawks roster.

Even if his remarks today were "activist", I wouldn't have minded. The concern I have isn't related to his sexuality but is of the more run-of-the-mill variety regarding the people who surround him. I consider it being of a similar vein to Jadeveon Clowney's work ethic or the shenanigans surrounding Eli Manning's entry into the league.

I don't think he's a bad guy by any stretch. I just worry about any player, let alone a likely mid-round pick, who might not be happy for an opportunity to be drafted by any of the 32 teams.

Except for the Browns.

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I understand what your saying, his 'posse' so to speak. Does he really seem like the disruptive type though? He said he wouldn't have any issues being drafted by the Dolphins? IDK, why not the world champs? I mean who wouldn't want a chance to jump on the dynasty train that is the Seahawks?

I was thinking about this kid earlier and think he'd be a perfect fit for the Hawks. Pete and John love those "chip-on-their-shoulder" type players and I think Sam is another one of those guys trying to prove people that he's a football player first and foremost. I think our locker room would be extremely supportive and give Sam another great environment to grow as a person and player like he had at Mizzou. He's a situational pass rusher which is what this team loves to employ. If Clemons leaves, that opens up a spot on the D Line for him to hunt and add to the rotation. I'd love to have Michael Sam as a Seahawk, 4th round, 5th round, 6th round...great value pick that would be an excellent fit.

Meh

If Aaron Donald was openly gay, I'd be making an online petition right now for Seattle to make history by drafting him. Sam just seems like a camp body to me though. He can't really afford to shed weight as a DE and yet his athleticism at 260 just isn't NFL caliber.

If he has an NFL future, he'd need to drop some weight and go to a team like Pittsburgh or Baltimore that uses slow 3-4 OLB types (and he hasn't played a down at LB either). Massive distraction potential, uncertain locker room effects in the wake of Incognito-Martin, takes imagination to see him fitting in the NFL from a talent perspective... factor in GMs' phobia of the unknown and I would be very surprised if he is drafted.

No issue with Sam being in the locker room, but not sure I see a good fit in SEA. The O/U on Sam's 40 speed is 4.75. The SEA LB corps is an area where Seattle actually does pay a lot of attention to measurables. Wagner, Malcom, and Irvin all run around a 4.4/40. KJ has enough length to compensate for being a touch slower. I imagine the LB corps being a plug-and-play system for Seattle over the next several years. Our scheme is easy enough on young LBs to accomplish this, but they need to be fast. I don't think Seattle can afford to make exceptions in this area unless some other physical attribute compensates ala KJ.

Not sure he's fast enough to be a situational rusher for SEA either. If he were stout vs. the run, I could see some potential as a LEO, but I hear that isn't his game. His ceiling for Seattle might be as a special teams specialist and emergency LB. I imagine he could do more under a different scheme. I haven't really watched him play much though, so there's a good chance I could be missing something here.

I have nothing against gays...but I do have issue with someone that uses their sexuality to gain pub. Sam certainly has garnered a lot of attention for being a projected late round pick.. hasn't he? Yes, he has.

To make matters worse is this bullsh*t he's spewing now.. "I don't know why you see me as a gay football player. Why can't you just see me as a football player"?

Look Michael Sam, I watched you play at Mizzou and never saw a "gay football player". Why? Because you hadn't yet attention whored yourself to the media, announcing yourself as a "gay football player". Quit your whining. I have no doubt you and your agent planned this and you're playing it for all it's worth.

There are many gays in our population. Common sense suggests there are many in the NFL. I don't hear of them being persecuted for their sexuality so there was no reason to assume this would happen to Sam had he stayed with the policy of "don't ask, don't tell". He chose to come out, now complains because people might see him as gay? What an assh*le.

I don't want him on this team for 2 reasons: 1) He's slower than me. 2) He's clearly a headcase.

Lynch'sLamborghini":1i72t5k0 said:

I, on the other hand, am left of...we'll, Barack Obama on social issues, but I admit to now having some concerns on the non-athletic side. Sam being gay is not a "distraction", but having people around him who go out and attack a prospective drafting team, is. The Seahawks weren't on the list that "sources close to" Sam mentioned, but if I were Pete or any other coach I would be asking about that. And it makes me fairly concerned about an otherwise talented player.

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The media flames would never be working OT without Sam's admission of it weeks ago. The timing was odd.

I feel the whole thing is ridiculous and I'm pissed that what I believe to be a non-story (he's gay...who cares?) is over shadowing the real stories in this upcoming draft. It's like gay-Tebow mania, and like Tebow being tied to his religious fanaticism, I believe Sam has added an element of undue, unwarranted pressure on GMs.

IE: A team is looking at DEs. They weren't looking at Sam before he decided to take center stage. Now, with the 180th pick, Sam and another DE are sitting neck and neck. That team that had zero interest in pre-gay Sam is now in a precarious position. Taking the guy they want, and passing on Sam, shouldn't be an issue...but suddenly, that move just might become a PR nightmare.

I would love it if after Sam was picked, a GM would have the balls to say...well, we were actually looking at another guy but because of the potential for backlash, we chose Sam, even though we don't really want him.

It would be interesting to see Sam's reaction to that as in...there you go dude, you got your wish and forced your way onto a team where you , as a football player, were not wanted. Happy?

4.91 official 40 time. Pretty slow.

This situation could get real ugly. Sam had an absolute dud of a combine and really lacks a position in the NFL. I'm hoping that the media doesn't grab ahold of this thing during the draft and do the "he would have been a high draft pick if he wasn't gay" thing.

Do not get me wrong, I could care less that Sam is gay. What really concerns me, is what the media is going to do with this thing, not knowing how the Draft/Player evaluation works.

4.9 40 and only 17 reps at 225.. the average for his position is 26.

With the media circus that will come with having him on your roster.. I would not draft this kid.

Yeah, I wasn't impressed at all with what I saw. He's not particularly fast, strong, athletic, or agile, looked stiff running the drills, and lacks the explosiveness and versatility that Carroll covets in defensive players. I seriously doubt the Hawks would draft him.

TXHawkFan":2ynt5166 said:

Yeah, I wasn't impressed at all with what I saw. He's not particularly fast, strong, athletic, or agile, looked stiff running the drills, and lacks the explosiveness and versatility that Carroll covets in defensive players. I seriously doubt the Hawks would draft him.

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After these workouts, I'm afraid no team is going to draft him.

You look at these workouts, which were bad.. just no other way to slice it.. paired with the fact he's a one year wonder that had .. literally 9 of those 10.5 sacks came against lesser opposition .. and then throw in the media ****storm that will come by just having him in your training camp?

I don't know if anyone wants a part of that anymore to be honest.