This just in: Tate is pretty good.

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"God bless America, and God bless the Seattle Seahawks" - Cortez Kennedy

Tate is really good. Not taking anything away from him but Russell is going to make a lot of WR's look good throughout his career.

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I'd really like to resign Tate, if it could be done for a reasonable price. Might be better to lock him up now instead of waiting, if he explodes and has a great year than he'll command more money. Too me he's a STEVE SMITH type player, both are very powerful and thick in the legs and both are great at going and getting the ball.

I'm very excited for Chris Harper as well. Just curious to see how much he'll impact Tate's playing time. Say Rice is gone after next year than You could possibly have a Harper, Harvin, Tate, Baldwin lineup next year.. (I really like Rice, but his cap number will be huge next year).

Tate's certainly a fun player to watch.

Man that dude is friggin' SICK nimble. He and P Harvin are going make so many plays almost laughable. Lots of broken ankles coming me thinks

I am certain we've not seen the best of Tate yet. The human highlight reel, Percy Harvin, will likely bring that out in him. That's the good news, the bad news is it's likely Tate will want more than the typical #3 receiver and on this team, I don't think he's worth any more than that...if that.

At some point all of us have to acknowledge we really have no clear certainty as to the direction the team will take with Tate. He is an exceptionally talented WR, but has been slow to develop until last season, when he broke out. He's a WR who plays bigger at times than his physical size but still shows an occasional rawness in his mastery of the whole route tree.

To me there is a lot to like and yet there is the negative that Harvin may be a better duplicate of Tate making Tate redundant. If he has a great year this season I'm sure the team will work hard to attempt to keep him here. He may wind up to be too expensive however.

I hope he stays, I like his physical play and his superior RAC ability

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Until we develop a pass rush that will cause opposing teams to be forced to scheme to defend it we will never be able to completely take the final step. Until the OLine is strengthened the team will remain weak.

If the money was the same for both and I had to choose just one to keep between Tate and Chancellor, I'd keep Tate. That's how much I think of him at this point. In reality, he's almost guaranteed to be cheaper than Kam was to extend. IMO, Tate has to be our team's top priority next offseason. I know that we are crowded at WR (especially money wise), but letting Tate walk would be a big, fat, ugly mistake.

I think he's every bit as elusive as Harvin is, with probably better balance and less speed.

I just want to see him and Harvin on the field at the same time as much as possible. Look at what Tate did against Chicago and Minnesota. Maybe 5 guys in the league can make those plays regularly; Harvin is one of them.

If Tate makes another big jump this year, well, we could certainly do worse than having two players with that kind of ability.

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Honestly, I hate to say it but looking at our current list of WRs, it wouldn't surprise me if DOUG BALDWIN is the odd-man out of the group.

WR, Sidney Rice, 6-4, 205, 26
WR, Golden Tate, 5-10, 202, 24
WR, Percy Harvin, 5-11, 184, 24
WR, Doug Baldwin, 5-10, 189, 24
WR, Chris Harper, 6-1, 234, 23
WR, Stephen Williams, 6-5, 208, 26
WR, Jermain Kearse, 6-1, 209, 23
WR, Phil Bates, 6-1, 220, 23
WR, Matt Austin, 6-2, 212, 24
WR, Charly Martin, 6-1, 212, 29
WR, Brett Swain, 6-0, 200, 27
WR, Bryan Walters 6-0, 190 25

I feel like the locks are Rice, Tate, Harvin, and Harper. Why Harper? Not because he's a 4th round pick, but I feel like the Seahawks will mold him into the Ben Obomanu role. Harper is raw enough to learn to backup all WR roles (flanker, split-end, and slot) and out of all the WRs we have his size and athleticism offers the most value as an ace, Special Teamer. The dude could be a stone cold killer as a Gunner. At 6'1, 230, 4.45 speed, and 20 bench reps, he is almost a weak-side linebacker.

So that will leave the only question left, do the Seahawks carry 5 or 6 WRs. If its 5, then most likely Baldwin and Stephen Williams will battle for that last spot.

Baldwin's case is that he was magical as an undrafted F/A in 2011, but does he offer any other value than a glorified slot WR? Seahawks chugged along last season while he was injured, and being a run-heavy offense the slot position was a slightly undervalued and diminished role in our Offense. Wilson didn’t use Baldwin, like Tarvaris Jackson used Baldwin, or how Hasselbeck used Stokely.

And what makes matter worse for Baldwin’s case is the Seahawks heavily invested in Percy Harvin, who will mostly line-up at Split-End and Slot in 3 WRs sets. There is no doubt Harvin is the better of the two.

Then lets talk about Golden Tate, the guy has legitimate talent, he can score Touchdowns, which is one of Baldwin’s strength as well, but Tate offers three things Baldwin doesn’t excel in as much compared to our other diminutive WRs… Yards After Catch, Yards after Contact, and great Special Team value as Returners. Both Tate and Harvin with the ball in their hands can consistently make people miss or run through tackles something the Seahawks value in their offense. While Harvin is more dynamic than Tate, they are practically interchangeable. Baldwin doesn't offer those skills or thier versatility as much in comparison.

Now on to Stephen Williams, we don’t really know much about him save for Larry Fitzgerald saying that Williams would most likely be the guy who end up replacing him some day, and when Schneider picked him up, after the Cardinals let him go, JS and Carroll were both excited by Williams' potential. I can see why looking at his Combine numbers courtesy of nfldraftscout.com:

Height: 6044
Weight: 210
40 Yrd Dash: 4.50
20 Yrd Dash: 2.52
10 Yrd Dash: 1.48
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 15
Vertical Jump: 36 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'05"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.11
3-Cone Drill: 6.81

At 6’5, 207+ pounds he is the only WR on the roster with the length and catch radius that even compares to Sidney Rice other than uber-athletic TE, Luke Willson. I think the Seahawks value that, they know how much Rice is important to their offense in the bigger picture. And that it is essential to have a viable backup plan to one of their key players.

However, the bigger picture of the Seahawks keeping Williams over Baldwin is that Rice makes A LOT OF MONEY, and with Harvin on board, and Tate becoming a free agent, the Seahawks could be looking to pry themselves away from Rice’s contract. So in hindsight, if they can develop Williams into a starting flanker, then Rice becomes expendable in 2014.

If they keep Baldwin instead they’ll most likely have Rice, Tate, Harvin, Baldwin, Harper… Tate and Baldwin become free agents, if they lose both then we only have Rice, Harvin, and Harper… Rice isn’t expendable in this scenario.

If they keep Williams instead of Baldwin they’ll have Rice, Tate, Harvin, Harper, and Williams… only Tate would become a free agent, but with Williams, Rice becomes expendable making it easier to retain Tate.

However, if the Seahawks keep 6 WRs (like they should) none of this really matters.

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#3 taught Doubters, GREATNESS can be a product of HARD WORK.
#25 taught America, that we're ALL just CLASSLESS jerks.
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YOU WANTED THIS NOISE, AMERICA.
DON'T PLAY WITH DYNAMITE, IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE BOOM.

It's going to be a sad day when we have to let some of these guys go because there is just no way we can keep everybody. Maybe he will do a New England and accept less money to stay on a potential dynasty in the making? I wouldn't count on it but stranger things have happened.

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43-8...it's all about that action boss....
next man up.

Might be 8 months late, but one could say Tate single-handedly beat the Packers.

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What does it mean to be a "glorified slot WR"? That's his position. He's a slot receiver. Is Marshawn Lynch a glorified running back? Not everyone needs Harvin's versatility to be valuable.

Harvin, Rice, Tate and Baldwin are locks for the 2013 receiving corps. Baldwin is a RFA in 2014 and can be retained $2 million or less. He'll be here for two more years barring the completely unexpected. The question marks for 2014 are on Rice (cap number) and Tate (UFA status).

I would say it would be far more likely they let Rice go than Tate. I hope both can be kept somehow but that's probably a pipedream.

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43-8...it's all about that action boss....
next man up.

Agreed. The other two that will be in serious contention are the rookie Chris Harper and the FA Stephen Williams, everyone else is fodder and practice squad candidates. While these two dudes may appear to have more to offer than Doug Baldwin on paper, Doug has proven in real regular season games against live ammo to be a starting caliber reciever in the NFL. That is worth a TON imo. Until these two new guys prove to bring more than potential to the table, Doug's position on the roster will be totally safe.

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In a perfect world, Rice would re-structure his contract in order to keep Tate. And then in a few years, Harvin does the same to keep someone else.

Currently, really only Rice and Tate have proven themselves on this team regarding WRs. Harvin is new, he hasn't proved anything yet.

I don't see Baldwin as a casualty at all, I think he's content making #4 WR money. He just doesn't seem like the "money-grabber" type person to me. And really, Tate may be that way. He seems simply more like the "fame" type person. Maybe that's enough for him.

Exactly, he's just a slot WR. Can he play flanker? Can he play split-end? Does he provide an awesome value on Special Teams... I could care less if Baldwin is an RFA, that means nothing save for the fact the Seahawks could retain him for another year at a reasonable price... I'm just thinking about the bigger picture of it all. As I said, I think the Seahawks drafted Harper to fill the Obomanu role: A WR who can play all three positions at a solid level, and have above average to elite significance as a blocker, as well as be an awesome special teamer specifically as a Gunner. If Harper can show that he can do all of those roles, then he's easily a lock.

As long as Tate and Harvin stay healthy, you really don't have any need for Baldwin, both Tate and Harvin can switch off in the split-end and slot roles, IF Baldwin sticks he will most likely be reduced 1-2 targets a game for 15-20 catches a year.

At least Williams has the value of backing up Rice, as well as, making him expendable in 2014. I have nothing against Baldwin, he just offers little in versatility as well as future value. However, while I would like the Seahawks to keep him, I just think he'll be the odd man out if they only keep 5 WRs.

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#3 taught Doubters, GREATNESS can be a product of HARD WORK.
#25 taught America, that we're ALL just CLASSLESS jerks.
#24 taught the Media, to REAP what you SOW.
#12 taught the NFL, TO BE LOUDER.

YOU WANTED THIS NOISE, AMERICA.
DON'T PLAY WITH DYNAMITE, IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE BOOM.

The only problem I see in Tate's game is blocking downfield. It may be a symptom of the Sean Lee (legal) block, and negative attention it received, but he was not the most willing blocker down field. A small gripe to be sure, but it is interesting that the Hawks brought in two WRs known for their ability to block.

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Baldwin can play all the WR positions. All of Seattle's WRs are expected to line up everywhere. He just happens to be the best on our team in the slot (pre-Harvin). He also plays Special Teams on kick coverage.

Pete Carroll also said he plans to play Harper on the outside and specifically said he was NOT a slot guy. I seriously doubt Harper could play the slot any better than Baldwin could play the outside, and Baldwin is far more trustworthy as a receiver in general at this point. I think Harper will make the team, but not at the expense of any of the top four WRs. He's a solid bet for WR #5. Williams and maybe Kearse have a shot of either taking Harper's place at #5 or making it on the roster as the WR #6.

Tate was by far the most improved player for 2012.

He had a terd of game against SF early in the season, but then it seemed like he picked himself up and went to work.

I think we are all going to have to steel ourselves against losing 1 or 2 big name players over the next 2 years. Of all the teams in the NFL I think the Seahawks are one that a player would make financial sacrifices for on field glory. But at the end of the day, something has to give. Probably why PC/JS are stacking as much as they can on the 2's.

Will Tate be a casualty, probably not, but Rice, probably. Going to be really intersting how training camp plays out.

Love me some Tate. His spinning TD against the Jets cracks me up every time. And that juke around 6:00 is a thing of beauty.

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Prior to this past season, there were times I got the impression Pete was getting rather discouraged with Tate's (slow) development. Fortunately, Pete is smart enough to understand the difference a competent QB makes. I doubt anyone wants to part ways with Tate, but it will come down to money. Someone suggested we let Rice go before Tate go and I don't endorse that at all. With Harvin and Baldwin, we would miss Rice way more than Tate. Can't happen.

To set the record straight, Sidney's cap hit for 2013 is $9.7M... the same goes for 2014... and a slight escalation to $10.2M in 2015. Some people talk as if his cap hit is in excess of $13M. It's not... and never will be under this contract.

IMO, last year he played to his $8.2M cap hit... but just barely.. considering his opportunities, which were limited. If you weren't aware, Calvin Johnson lead the league with 205 targets... Rice was targeted only 80 times last year.

With the Hawks run-first offense, he likely won't be able to play to his $9.7M cap hit, especially considering that Percy will be taking away some of his targets.

If I had to guess right now, I'd say that the Hawks keep Rice through this year and next year at a minimum. His contract is up after the 2015 season.

Back on topic... I see great things for Tate's future. I would hate to lose him in FA.

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EastCoastHawksFan posted... "Trading for Harvin is by far the worst move John S has ever made." (March 18, 2014)

Moved to Seattle in 1980. Hawks fan for 34 years and counting.

My nine year old daughter came in while I was watching this and she says.. "Oh, Seahawks! Man, we're going to kill them this year." When I asked her who she meant by "them", she said "Hello! The 49ers!".

Needless to say she gets to stay up 30 minutes late tonight and eat ice cream.

No disrespect to the guy that said Wilson made Tate look good but Tate earned his pay last year. He had so many tough catches and big YAC plays...

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Dude, that play he makes against Miami's RJ Stanford at the 5 minute mark is incredible to me--when Tate is in the zone, it's a thing of beauty!

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Tate's underrated, and I think enjoys that, he's elusive and most importantly.. he can take being hit.. rice worries me everytime he might be knocked out... I remember with Tjack.. rice when he did see the ball.. it was just long enough to catch it and then lights out.. a lot... this yr the bears game scared the crap outta me. Hopefully that can change but until it does I'll take tate over rice, Tate fights for yardage rice slumps unconscious for it

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Conference Championships: NFC: 2005, 2013
Division Campionships: AFC West: 1988, 1999 NFC West: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013
Superbowl Championships: 2013 XLVIII Final Score: Sea 43 Den 8.. SUCK IT

Watching Tate reminds me of those old vibrating magnetic football games. Dude looks he's just out of control, elbows & knees flailing everywhere, but he's impossible to knock over.

(I've also come to the sad realization that as long as YouTube Highlight videos exist, we will never be able to rid ourselves of bad nu-metal)

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I'm sick of chasing after my dreams. I'm just going to find out where they're headed, and catch up with them later.
- Mitch Hedberg

I would prefer keeping Tate to Rice if it comes to that. Tate can play at the X. We don't really seem to have a traditional offense anyway. Our best receiver is going to mostly play in the slot, for example.

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"Well, I like the 49ers because they're pure of heart, Seattle because they've got something to prove, and the Raiders because they always cheat."

-Lisa Simpson

Well, at least Lisa got two of three right.

I said on these boards probably 2 years ago that Tate would become a Steve Smith-type WR for us. In terms of toughness, scrappiness, hands, quickness, and competitiveness, I think Golden has proven me right.

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GT was solid last year. There were a few drops early in the season that I am sure he would like to have to do over but after SF1 last year he was arguably the "go to" target for Wilson until Miller awoke later on. Would be a travesty to build up a guy like Tate and then lose him to FA. Tough choices lie ahead though.

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#NEXTMANUP

I'd love to keep Tate, and hope we do.

IMO, Harper was drafted as the eventual replacement for Sidney. Before people have a fit, I am not comparing the two...I just think that either Rice or Miller will have to go in order to be able to sign Thomas, Sherman and Wilson (let alone Okung and others), if possible.

I'm a huge Sidney fan and wish we would feature him even more...but I see the math. Worst case scenario, we lose Sidney but keep Golden and we still have the core of a very good WR group (Harvin, Tate, Baldwin and potentially Harper).

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

Im cool with keeping Tate, but that means bye bye to Sydney Rice...and Im ok with that. Harper will step in and dominate.

You can't keep Tate, Rice, and Harvin though after this year. Choices will have to be made.

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The artist formerly known as T-Sizzle

I was watching this Russell Wilson highlight video, and half way through it, I noticed a common occurrence.... Tate was in A LOT of the plays. I knew he had a couple here and there that were very good, but I didn't realize it was that significant. If we can resign him at a reasonable price, I'm ALL for it.

We'll see... but I think in the end in terms of keeping 5 WRs... Stephen Williams is more valuable that Doug Baldwin. Chris Harper is more valuable than Doug Baldwin. Of course this is in the scenario, that everyone is competing, and doing what they need to do to make the team. I'm trying to say that its established that Harper and Williams will make the team over Baldwin. I'm not, I'm just saying that if they both show up, work hard, and prove they have what it takes to play and be productive then Doug Baldwin becomes expendable and I already gave you key points:

1) Seahawks are most likely going to replace Sidney Rice after this season, and having both Harper and Williams in the fold, makes that much more comfortable.

2) Seahawks are most likely going to try to retain Golden Tate after this season (which makes point 1 more crucial in the bigger picture). If they do, there is no reason to continue to hang on to Baldwin with Harvin already on the roster.

3) My point about Harper stands, the guy will be a load to handle. I'm not saying he's going to tear it up but you have to realize that the Seahawks drafted him with a 4th round pick over guys like Patton and their 5th round picks Williams, and Simon. They obviously liked his skillset and abilitiy enough to where he was a luxury pick even though we had Rice, Tate, Harvin, and Baldwin. Again why I feel why Harper is a lock, just think of what Ben Obomanu was for this team. Harper is the bigger, faster, more physical, more athletic version of that and provides a solid base of reciveing, blocking, and special teams ability. Whether he can play slot remains to be seen, but Harp is a seemingly smart WR, who possesses the toughness and attitude to go over the middle and make catches in traffic.

4) Again, I'm not hating on Baldwin, he's a cool dude but for the future of this team, he's not an essential player anymore with Harvin making 10+ mill a year. In the end in a perfect world Seahawks will keep 6 WRs.

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#3 taught Doubters, GREATNESS can be a product of HARD WORK.
#25 taught America, that we're ALL just CLASSLESS jerks.
#24 taught the Media, to REAP what you SOW.
#12 taught the NFL, TO BE LOUDER.

YOU WANTED THIS NOISE, AMERICA.
DON'T PLAY WITH DYNAMITE, IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE BOOM.

There isn't a team in the NFL that would prefer to have Stephen Williams over Doug Baldwin. Not one. Sometimes you need to get your mind out of the X and Os for a second, and think about the big picture. Baldwin is a proven contributor on an elite team. Williams couldn't hack it on a terrible Cardinals team. Assuming they performed exactly the same in training camp, 32/32 GMs would take Baldwin over Williams based on real life gamr tape. That's a fact.

Not saying Williams can't get coached up into something special, but right now, everything being equal, no GM in their right mind would take him over Doug Baldwin. Don't care what you think his limitations are (which I believe you're greatly exaggerating).

No team would take Stephen Williams over Baldwin .... Ur crazy bruh

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The artist formerly known as T-Sizzle

Personally I prefer to keep the talk of who we are keeping in the future on hold till the 2014 off season.


But I will make a comment


What is this offense going to see, 60 to 70 snaps a game ? Our running game is going to take 40 to 45 % of those snaps. Only so many balls to go around. Balls thrown to RBs. Miller, Harvin, Rice, Tate, Baldwin, second TEs. Well this may be awesome when it comes to team goals it will definitely drive down individual stats. Individual stats play a big part of size of contract. Tates dollar numbers will be lower because his stats will not command the big dollar. Mind you, IF we win a Super Bowl, everybody's ability to earn a big pay check goes up dramatically. These lower stats will also make it a little easier to renegotiate in the future with Rice and Miller.

I think Rice is the guy out next year, if we're gonna re-sign Tate. Tate is younger, stays healthier, he'll be cheaper, he's got more upside, better blocker and despite being shorter probably plays bigger then Rice. I love Rice but if it come down to the two a say Tate wins that battle, plus him and Russell have great chemistry. Rice also seems to get upset when he doesn't get the ball, which is hard to fault him for, but he almost shows up the QB with his actions sometimes. Hopefully we can keep both of them.

I think Seattle has a top 5 offense in every category to go along with a top 5 defense in every category this year and that's a team that can win a Super Bowl. We haven't lost anybody that was irreplaceable and we only added better depth and competition to the roster. Unfortunately, San Fran is the team for us to beat and they are in our division, but we've proven we can mop the floors with them, so beating San Fran in San Fran isn't an impossible task. The most important thing for this team to do is focus on playing to win the road games. Grinding hard-nosed mistake-free football needs to become the focus as the offseason progresses.

I really like Tate, I hope we can find away to keep him long term. I think with our WR group and Run game With Wilson at QB it will be flat out scary for other teams. Now you throw in our (I feel up graded D) all I can say is look out.

As RW would say.
GO HAWKS!!!

Tate will be kept long term. It isn't even on my worry list.

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Golden Tate was immense last year.

Not only did he make a stack load of incredible, and often incredibly important, plays, but he hardly had any drops either. I think that Thursday night Niners game was the only blot on his copy book.

Tate is also a scrapper. He looks for blocks and people to hit, which is awesome for a dude with his stature.

Isn't that right...Sean Lee?

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

I think all of our receivers could be more productive this season. It took them half of last season to figure out that with this QB when a play breaks down its not over. As soon as the receivers began to maintain their route responsibilities big plays began to happen.

I don't think there is any way they get rid of Baldwin, he's cheap and he's going to be a RFA. I like Tate but I want to see how he does this year before making a commitment to him. On the one hand he could put up another great season or with Harvin coming in he might become a non-factor (doubt it) let's see how it goes.

Also to say Baldwin offers no versatility is BS, he's probably our best special teams receiver still on the roster.

Based on??? Stephen Williams might be the next Darren Fells for all we know.

With what Harper's being penciled in for, one would forget he's a recent 4th round draft choice.

This. Tate came in with huge hype and fell short of the everyones hopes from day 1. They gave him some time to work out his issues and then every year after the guy just keeps making huge strides. He will be a Probowler before he is done.