I was just thinking about how close-knit this team is. One of my favorite moments of the season was in Week 14, I think, during the Cards/Hawks game. Our boy Tim Ryan, Seahawks personal National correspondent, mentioned how close this team was. How it's like a family in the locker room. Of course, that comes as no surprise to all of us thanks to the Real Rob Report. Carroll and Schneider and the rest of the gang have succeeded in making something "special."
Now, what about getting to the top and winning the Super Bowl this next season? It's obvious that with a few smart additions this team will be fighting for the Lombardi Trophy come playoff time next season. They'll do their thing in the draft, picking up some of the playmakers and stars of the future, that's what they do. What about free agency though? We've seen the 'Hawks adhere to their own version of the "Packers Model" in the past and the Packers are rarely active in free agency aside from keeping their own guys. When they do hit the FA circuit, it's usually for bargain bin players to fill out the bottom of the roster and compete for jobs and playing time. Now that the Hawks have almost completed the job of stocking a fully self sufficient roster, I'm expecting that they'll go that route in FA as well. So I'm not expecting any guys like Melton, Wallace, or Bowe. Guys with high price tags and a name for themselves.
Instead, I'm expecting them to go for guys that will fit into this close-knit squad. Guys with non-stop motors and relentless effort. Guys with high football IQ's and toughness that's through the charts. Guys that will come in to camp and try and earn the respect of their new teammates and prove to them that they are just as tough and can hang with the rest of the bunch. Someone who can be relied upon in the future when the games start to count.
So it wouldn't surprise me to see the team go after some guys like Delanie Walker. There's precedent for that kind of move, Michael Robinson anyone? Guys like William Hayes that are used to having to prove themselves and still not getting the respect. Hayes would make the perfect Seahawk with the chip he's probably got on his shoulder. Desmond Bryant was a UDFA from Harvard that spent two years buried on the bench in Oakland before emerging as one of the lone brightspots on an otherwise dismal defense in the Bay. Ask Scottemojo how much he'd love to have Desmond Bryant in this defense. Ramses Barden seems to fit the bill because he'll be cheap, overlooked, but has some serious size and potential. He looked like a genuine good receiver in his breakout game against Carolina earlier in the year.
Of course, I could be wrong. The team might try and make a huge splash or two and pick up some marquee free agents to create the feeling of the FO doing whatever it takes to get the best talent to Seattle to get a ring. What do you guys think? The marquee names approach or the "Always Compete" approach? Which type of free agents will be the best fit with this team and which type of FA will the front office pursue?
Now, what about getting to the top and winning the Super Bowl this next season? It's obvious that with a few smart additions this team will be fighting for the Lombardi Trophy come playoff time next season. They'll do their thing in the draft, picking up some of the playmakers and stars of the future, that's what they do. What about free agency though? We've seen the 'Hawks adhere to their own version of the "Packers Model" in the past and the Packers are rarely active in free agency aside from keeping their own guys. When they do hit the FA circuit, it's usually for bargain bin players to fill out the bottom of the roster and compete for jobs and playing time. Now that the Hawks have almost completed the job of stocking a fully self sufficient roster, I'm expecting that they'll go that route in FA as well. So I'm not expecting any guys like Melton, Wallace, or Bowe. Guys with high price tags and a name for themselves.
Instead, I'm expecting them to go for guys that will fit into this close-knit squad. Guys with non-stop motors and relentless effort. Guys with high football IQ's and toughness that's through the charts. Guys that will come in to camp and try and earn the respect of their new teammates and prove to them that they are just as tough and can hang with the rest of the bunch. Someone who can be relied upon in the future when the games start to count.
So it wouldn't surprise me to see the team go after some guys like Delanie Walker. There's precedent for that kind of move, Michael Robinson anyone? Guys like William Hayes that are used to having to prove themselves and still not getting the respect. Hayes would make the perfect Seahawk with the chip he's probably got on his shoulder. Desmond Bryant was a UDFA from Harvard that spent two years buried on the bench in Oakland before emerging as one of the lone brightspots on an otherwise dismal defense in the Bay. Ask Scottemojo how much he'd love to have Desmond Bryant in this defense. Ramses Barden seems to fit the bill because he'll be cheap, overlooked, but has some serious size and potential. He looked like a genuine good receiver in his breakout game against Carolina earlier in the year.
Of course, I could be wrong. The team might try and make a huge splash or two and pick up some marquee free agents to create the feeling of the FO doing whatever it takes to get the best talent to Seattle to get a ring. What do you guys think? The marquee names approach or the "Always Compete" approach? Which type of free agents will be the best fit with this team and which type of FA will the front office pursue?