Drew Nowak article

[Phoenix]

He grew up a packers fan.
Love this line: "My mom says everybody has to wear Seahawks gear in the box,"

Sounds like a great guy

http://mynorthwest.com/292/2804374/...Nowak-in-line-to-start-at-center-for-Seahawks

 

[Phoenix]

Does anyone recall Max Unger's first year at starting center? I'm brain dead atm.
I know we won't be able to evaluate Nowak until a few games in, and the fact the Unger played offensive guard throughout his college career, but any comparisons or projections at this point for him?

 

[hawknation2015]

Does anyone recall Max Unger's first year at starting center? I'm brain dead atm.
I know we won't be able to evaluate Nowak until a few games in, and the fact the Unger played offensive guard throughout his college career, but any comparisons or projections at this point for him?

No, Unger played mostly center at Oregon. He actually started out at LT as a freshman and sophomore and then moved full-time to center as a junior and senior. It was when he moved to his natural position, center, that his game really took off. He dominated USC's stout defensive line in 2007 as a center. Unger was then named an All-American center in 2008. Although he played guard in HS, he saw very little action at guard while in college. It was an adjustment for him to move back to guard in 2009. By the time he became the starting center for the Seahawks, he already had 17 starts under his belt. 2011, his first season in the NFL as a full-time starter at center, was one of his best years. He did not yield a single sack or QB hit all season and had some dominant games as a run blocker against Arizona (twice), Dallas, and Baltimore.

It's a very different situation for Nowak, who was an All-MAC DT in college and then spent most of the last three years converting to the offensive side, including last season on the Seahawks practice squad. His development under Tom Cable over the last couple months has been amazing to watch.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

I was skeptical of Nowak all up until the point they released, Lemuel Jeanpierre, a 5th year study in Cable's system and a player whose intelligence earned him the nickname, Lempedia.

That was a serious vote of confidence for Nowak. And now he has my full vote of confidence. And he seems like he has the ability, athleticism, work ethic, intelligence and the initial handle on the position to develop into a solid player.

So now its all about gaining and learning from experience and allowing the line to season with chemistry and natural growth.

 

[Scottemojo]

If this works, Holy isht, what a coup. I think it is 8 weeks before we know, week one poor novak takes on a center killer, but week one of his career Sweezy looked awful and I think he has worked out fairly well, so... I hope he works out to be as good as we all hope.

 

[kearly]

We've seen Cable talk up bad OL. I remember when he said Mike Person was our best backup lineman, then the team cut Person like a week later.

But I dunno, this just feels different. Nowak already looks like a competent pass protector. He has stuff to work on in the run game, but he has good effort. It took Cable about half a season to get Unger to click in the system.

One thing about coaches, GMs, and organizations: they are wary of hype. The 2010 Mariners rolled with the 'Believe Big' slogan and it backfired so badly. In 2015, with even bigger expectations, they sheepishly settled on 'Enjoy the Journey.' And now the M's are cleaning house.

But while Cable is known for talking up some of his players, it's not like he brags about the unit as a whole. That is until this year when he has repeatedly insisted to media members that this is his best OL group yet. A damn bold statement, given the widespread predictions of disaster for Seattle's OL this season. And also remarkable, given some of the effective lines Cable has coached in the past.

I think that's pretty interesting, and also encouraging. I wonder if he's seeing something that's still a ways away from coming into focus for the rest of us. His bravado will probably seem insane after the Rams game, but I think we should keep a close eye on this line to see if they take off about midway through the season like they did in 2011.

 

[hawknation2015]

We've seen Cable talk up bad OL. I remember when he said Mike Person was our best backup lineman, then the team cut Person like a week later.

But I dunno, this just feels different. Nowak already looks like a competent pass protector. He has stuff to work on in the run game, but he has good effort. It took Cable about half a season to get Unger to click in the system.

One thing about coaches, GMs, and organizations: they are wary of hype. The 2010 Mariners rolled with the 'Believe Big' slogan and it backfired so badly. In 2015, with even bigger expectations, they sheepishly settled on 'Enjoy the Journey.' And now the M's are cleaning house.

But while Cable is known for talking up some of his players, it's not like he brags about the unit as a whole. That is until this year when he has repeatedly insisted to media members that this is his best OL group yet. A damn bold statement, given the widespread predictions of disaster for Seattle's OL this season. And also remarkable, given some of the effective lines Cable has coached in the past.

I think that's pretty interesting, and also encouraging. I wonder if he's seeing something that's still a ways away from coming into focus for the rest of us. His bravado will probably seem insane after the Rams game, but I think we should keep a close eye on this line to see if they take off about midway through the season like they did in 2011.

FYI, former 7th Round pick Mike Person has looked pretty good this preseason. After running through five teams in five years, due to marginal athleticism and strength, I hope he finds a home in Atlanta. He appears to be winning the competition at starting center, starting the last game. Person has allowed only one hurry, and has done some positive things as a run blocker in their new ZBS, while playing 100 snaps in the preseason.

 

[kearly]

Looks like all that coaching finally got through to him. Atlanta is going to be a different team this year.