Carroll on James Carpenter:

[Maelstrom787]

"His lean body mass has shifted some. But he still weighs 350 pounds." -- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, commenting on a slimmer-looking offensive lineman James Carpenter, who has changed his diet.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-repor ... --nfl.html

 

[kearly]

He was listed at 321 on draft day. I love how somebody can slim down and add 30 pounds.

Of course, it doesn't really matter. We already know that James Carpenter doesn't have the agility to be an NFL tackle regardless of his weight, and given that he's slated to play between a pair of pro-bowlers, we probably don't need him to be an elite pass protector. Carpenter is here to kick ass in the run game and get by in pass pro. He'll basically be a little like our version of Mike Iupati, minus the national attention and praise.

 

[themunn]

He was listed at 321 on draft day. I love how somebody can slim down and add 30 pounds.

Of course, it doesn't really matter. We already know that James Carpenter doesn't have the agility to be an NFL tackle regardless of his weight, and given that he's slated to play between a pair of pro-bowlers, we probably don't need him to be an elite pass protector. Carpenter is here to kick ass in the run game and get by in pass pro. He'll basically be a little like our version of Mike Iupati, minus the national attention and praise.

If I recall correctly Carpenter's weight was a huge casualty of the lockout, as he came to the team significantly overweight. Wouldn't surprise me if he's been over 350lbs for a long time now

 

[bestfightstory]

He was listed at 321 on draft day. I love how somebody can slim down and add 30 pounds.

Of course, it doesn't really matter. We already know that James Carpenter doesn't have the agility to be an NFL tackle regardless of his weight, and given that he's slated to play between a pair of pro-bowlers, we probably don't need him to be an elite pass protector. Carpenter is here to kick ass in the run game and get by in pass pro. He'll basically be a little like our version of Mike Iupati, minus the national attention and praise.

.......and durability

 

[Tech Worlds]

Carpenter is one of the most over nourished players in the NFL.

He must learn ingestion restraint.

 

[Largent80]

His lean body mass has shifted?

He has like 1 square inch of it....right?

 

[jammerhawk]

There is long history of OLine players who have managed to eat themselves out of the league.

The news of Carp now starting to use a nutritionist to help him to eat better is a positive but @ 350 he's going to need to carve off about 20 lbs to be most effective as a zone blocker.

His weight is working against his recovery from what must have been a really severe knee injury. The spin from the team is positive but as time goes on he's sabotaging his return to the field. This season will be critical for him to return to the field and to stay on the field or he could find the team ready to move on from him. What is unfortunate for him is that his injury history in college was negligible so this must be a difficult situation for him.

Sad, but he has amazing potential and was a beast at LG in the few games he played there. I'd really like to see him back and hope the light comes on that he is working against himself with that weight.

 

[pehawk]

Here's what I dont understand; if he's so questionable with his diet, why in the world did he beat long odds to even get back on the field last year? That took some tremendous effort on Carp's part. The "hard work" and "overweight" labels dont mesh well together.

I'm not sure what to believe.

I do think he'll be better at pass protection than people give him credit for.

 

[Trenchbroom]

I do think he'll be better at pass protection than people give him credit for.

I agree. Man on man as a Guard I don't think anyone will be able to move him aside!

 

[Missing_Clink]

Wow...350 with a bum knee. Carp is enormous. I hope he can get that under control or he's not going to amount to much.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

In my mind he is the one question mark who if he can play, can provide the single biggest unexpected lift to the team at any position. I'm in the minority it seems, but I think this guy could be an absolute monster if he can just get and stay healthy.

For what it's worth, I thought we mismanaged him terribly last year. He is a massive guy and I never agreed with the rapidity with which we put him back out there. I kind of see the same thing happening with Clemons this year. I'm no doctor, but it just strikes me as grossly over optimistic to have guys come back after late season injuries like that.

There was no rush to get him back out there last year. I didn't feel the risk of re injuring the knee was worth it. We should have PUPed him and let him come back and get his body back in shape so that his knee could handle the stress of his playing weight. Even now, I'm left to wonder if he'll even start the season on the active roster. At 350, it's going to take more than counting calories for his knee to hold up.

 

[onanygivensunday]

Pete's statements finally confirm my (repeatedly previously posted) belief that Carp has always been carrying 30 extra pounds since that day that he showed up in Seattle... and that has never changed.

He'll never be Iupati because he can't pull like him... unfortunately. An All Pro LG must be able to pull effectively and be a road-grader on the strong side... as well as being a road-grader in the run game on the weak side.

Iupati has a level of athleticism that Carp will never reach... even if he dumps 40 pounds.

 

[jammerhawk]

I agree with the mis-management comment above. Carp was probably wishing to get back as soon as possible but with a guy his size and with the injury he suffered ACL & MCL plus cartilage damage. He absolutely should have been PUP'd to ensure the knee was not just OK but 100% , but also to allow him longer to be sure the knee was in game shape and he was as well. Now he has almost a season of lack of conditioning to overcome which for a guy @ 350 with a wonky knee is going to be hard work. Totally agree as well about carp and pass pro, he has the skill to be a very capable OLineman but needs to work on his body some to make that happen. What is unfortunate for him is that he was really durable in college, this knee injury has really kicked his ass though.

I think Carp has the potential to be a top level OG in the NFL but needs to be concerned about his weight which isn't helping him at present. I was surprised the team drafted him to be a T but obviously Cable saw something and was looking to get a steal, he's still valuable as a G if he can repeat what we saw from him when he played last season. I'm not down on this guy at all because I think he's been unlucky but he's now at a critical time for himself as far as playing here. Carp needs to compete as Pete would say.

 

[FlyingGreg]

If he keeps road grating people, I don't care.

 

[Happypuppy]

I have high hopes for him. He was working with a trainer and a nutritionist and I have read he is the strongest player on the OL now. I think what
PC was saying is he lost fat and added muscle. I would like to see him about 10-15 lbs lighter on his repaired knee

 

[NYCoug]

I love Carp and I seriously hope that this is his year... (here comes the BUT)

BUT, somewhere, Paul McQuistan is lurking. To me, McQuistan is Chris Gray 2.0. Overlooked, always counted out, under appreciated, and ugly enough to play Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) in any upcoming remakes of Batman Returns. The ultimate underdog.

Once again, we're looking at and talking about Carp/Moffitt/Sweezy on this board and who is going to walk out of camp with the 2 jobs at guard and meanwhile, Paul McQuistan rises from the sewers to take back what's rightfully his.

Don't sleep on McQuistan, my guess is that somehow, against the odds yet again, he starts the season as a starter on the OLine. I hope not, because that means that something didn't go according to plan along the way. In football though, as in life, things rarely do.

 

[pehawk]

McQuistan may end up being cut, IMO. If Carp/Sweezy/Moffit and one of the draft picks hit, his $3M salary will be looked at.

It's a maybe.

 

[FlyingGreg]

I love Carp and I seriously hope that this is his year... (here comes the BUT)

BUT, somewhere, Paul McQuistan is lurking. To me, McQuistan is Chris Gray 2.0. Overlooked, always counted out, under appreciated, and ugly enough to play Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) in any upcoming remakes of Batman Returns. The ultimate underdog.

Once again, we're looking at and talking about Carp/Moffitt/Sweezy on this board and who is going to walk out of camp with the 2 jobs at guard and meanwhile, Paul McQuistan rises from the sewers to take back what's rightfully his.

Don't sleep on McQuistan, my guess is that somehow, against the odds yet again, he starts the season as a starter on the OLine. I hope not, because that means that something didn't go according to plan along the way. In football though, as in life, things rarely do.

Perhaps most importantly, McQ has the versatility to play every spot on the line except center.

 

[NYCoug]

McQuistan may end up being cut, IMO. If Carp/Sweezy/Moffit and one of the draft picks hit, his $3M salary will be looked at.

It's a maybe.

True. That is a possibility. You never know with Pete and John. Also can't forget about Rishawn Johnson, whom Pete was full of praise for last offseason. If Ryan Seymour can do McQuistan's job(s) and be the Michelangelo or Renaissance Man of the OLine, he also makes McQuistan expendable.

The thing is, this is what we all said about Chris Gray for YEARS haha. There was always someone being brought in (Wedderburn, Pork Chop among others) that was going to take his job and at the end of the day he somehow always remained.

Another thing I thought of is maybe the Hawks are hoping that Carp and either Sweezy or Moffitt pan out as the Guards so that McQuistan can be the primary backup at LT? They haven't re-signed Omiyale yet and as of now there's no one other than Bowie that can play tackle on the roster and it'd be a near disaster to have Bowie take meaningful snaps at LT this season (still haven't seen him play but it'd be the biggest of upsets if Bowie performed well in such a scenario)... except for McQuistan. If they don't bring anyone in before Camp, I'll be convinced that McQuistan is their guy to backup Okung.

Something tells me that one way or another, McQuistan's making this team.

 

[Subzero717]

McQuistan is my favorite lineman. He just does everything asked of him and I don't recall anything glaring of his play that stands out. For an interior lineman that's fine. I remember pulling my hair and screaming at the TV because of Sweezy, Moffit and Breno.