So listening to John Clayton interview John Schneider over the weekend was interesting. They went over each of the new additions. What the process was like to acquire them and how they fit with the team.

1. He said that WR was not an area they were looking at, Percy just kind of came to them. Specifically he said "they were not involved with any of the Free Agent WR's". (27:10)

2. He said that Cliff Avril was brought in to play Leo and SAM LB (30:20)

3. He described Bennett as an "inside pass rushers" first that "could play outside as well". (30:45)

4. Schneider is asked about more FA signings. He says they'll focus on their own guys now and specifically mentions "signing some guys to extensions" (31:10)

Here's the link to the interview:
http://mynorthwest.com/category/pod_player_sports/?a=9953606&p=1034&n=John%20Clayton%20Show

Thanks for the link. I'd heard Clayton was going to be talking to him this weekend, but hadn't had a chance to look for the link yet.

I heard the interview on Saturday and liked what he had to say. Seems very open about it, now that they are signed.

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John and Pete are always very honest. It's refreshing.

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@SeahawkGreg

Am I losing it, or did Clemons also line up at LB as well? and if he did why is everyone making a big deal out of them saying that Avril is going to as well, isn't that part of what the LEO does in our defense?

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"Never Say Never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion" - Michael Jordan

He says they'll focus on their own guys now and specifically mentions "signing some guys to extensions" (31:10)

Good news there.




GO ZAGS!!

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At times the LEO stands up and/or drops into coverage like a 3-4 OLB, Clemons never played WIL or SAM though if I had to estimate he rushed the passer about 95% of the time.

I think our Dline will be ludicrously good next season. At times Clemons dropped into coverage from the Leo spot. We've got the potential to line up Clem / Avril at the Leo/WILL spot with Irvin, Mebane and Bennet on the line, Wagner at MLB, Wright on the strong side...

Where does the rush come from? Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas? Richard Sherman? It could be anywhere, especially if the team is weak at the WR spot. Obviously that isn't the type of thing that would be employed often, but this defensive unit is looking like it could be very versatile. We could even pull Kam in at WILL and put Jeron Johnson on the field with Earl.

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President of the Perfect Parents Society - est. 2013

I'm not so sure that Clemons lined up at LB for us, but he did on occasion drop back into coverage at times as they rushed LBers to disguise blitzes and coverages. I could be wrong though...

From the ownership to the FO to the players, nobody is trying to beat you by playing mind games, that's how I see it. They don't want to "win" any aspect of what they do on or off the field by being deceptive and lucky. They want to win by showing you what they are doing and being confident they will be able to do it regardless.

Same reason they have the open training camp practices with music and fans that are more like an event than a practice - here's what we're doing, regardless of the distractions we will get it done and if you can't handle that how are you going to handle a game?

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Leo position is a hybrid LB/DE type of position but SAM LB is a different animal, and as far as I know Clemons did not play any SAM. Saying Avril will play SAM LB is indicating that he will be on the field at a LB position in addition to someone else playing LEO...

Probably a similar look to the "4-3 Jet End's" shown here:
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/11049 ... t_Ends.png

I know he's probably low priority compared to some of the other names out there but I really hope they can extend Tate soon

Agreed. I always hoped he would be more like Harvin, and if he can develop a bit more I think he could be used similarly which would give our offense another wrinkle.

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President of the Perfect Parents Society - est. 2013

Very true.

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@SeahawkGreg

Good stuff there. It will be very interesting to see how the rest of this offseason goes.

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Avril at SAM would mean our LB corps would have the following 40 times: 4.51 (Avril), 4.45 (Wagner), 4.44/4.46 (Smith/Morgan)

Fastest LB group in the NFL? Probably. Our linebackers would be faster than our secondary.

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"I believe there’s merit to the idea that once something in life becomes conventional, it’s no longer the safest path to success." -Matt Waldman
"If everyone's thinking alike, no one's thinking." -Bill Walsh

Question:

What is faster than the speed of light?

Answer:

Seattle's Linebackers

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Beer, Football, Family=A wonderful life.

Wouldn't they throw KJ Wright over to WILL when Avril plays SAM?

lol If we could just re-sign Simmons and his clocked 4.28, that would make them the fastest in the NFL.
I am really pumped about what these guys will bring to the table. They are P and J's anwser to this years DE issue!