EJ4 is the leader we've been missing

[chrispy]

Very much liked what I saw. I also like the fact that Mac isn't afraid to jettison a player that we picked up in FA... and by the looks of it, JS agrees.

EJ4 looks to be a great addition to the team. Having leaders at all three levels of the D is invaluable.

This post stuck out to me as a point that really shows this isn't your dad's Seahawks.

Someone asked about how the front office has changed this year even though JS is still GM. There's no scenario I can imagine where PC boots a player he brought in after 7 games and while #1 in NFCW. I like Pete and think his +s almost always outweighed his -s so I'm not trying to disparage him or his legacy in any way. He was all about giving one more chance and I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm just pointing out that MMac and PC are obviously different coaches with different styles. We can see that outwardly. But there's a lot more change going on behind the scenes to which we'll never have access.

To be able to successfully redirect a large, complex organization usually takes several years. There are probably more growing pains coming. However, the initial success, considering the difference in culture, seems pretty promising.

 

[keasley45]

I’ve posted in a couple of other threads that, based on my observation last season, he seemed to be the defacto captain of the Rams defense, despite AD being the official captain.

I was pretty surprised that they let him go.

My biggest concern is the possibility that he was let go due to being too vocal on the field and in practice, and unwilling to stay in his lane.

He was very vocal about being paid what he is worth, and perhaps that caused friction with LA and Ten.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

He’s a hell of a player, and leader. I hope it was just an environment thing that caused The Rams to let him go. Same with Tennessee, though his release there isn’t nearly as puzzling.

I dont think its a mystery. The Rams arent in the position to break the bank for a defensive player on the upswing. Their team is built around their Offense and they seem to prioritize DL play. They've been happy to let star LB and DBs walk to avoid paying them. And when you factor in that they can pretty much score with anyone in the league, their stance doesnt seem so hard to understand.

 

[Seahawks fan]

We need that vocal leader other than Witherspoon I have trouble finding a guy that can fire up other players...

 

[toffee]

EJ4 would be the sort that John and Pete used to love, guys with high potential but kept being rejected by other teams, or teams.

 

[bigskydoc]

I dont think its a mystery. The Rams arent in the position to break the bank for a defensive player on the upswing. Their team is built around their Offense and they seem to prioritize DL play. They've been happy to let star LB and DBs walk to avoid paying them. And when you factor in that they can pretty much score with anyone in the league, their stance doesnt seem so hard to understand.

I get that, I'm just saying that I hope that is the reason and there isn't more at play here.

 

[sutz]

EJ4 would be the sort that John and Pete used to love, guys with high potential but kept being rejected by other teams, or teams.

You have to look at why they were cut or moved, though. EJ4 was moved by the Lambs for salary cap reasons. The Titans are staring at a major rebuild and chose to not give him the big payday he will be due after the season. Neither move has much to do with his talent of character.

 

[Seahawkwalt1967]

The beauty of this is that we have our mlb for the next 8 years or so for just a 4th rounder.

 

[GemCity]

When he went on the trade block, I knew the Rams wouldn’t talk to Seattle.

But….JS.


Struhteejeree.

 

[toffee]

You have to look at why they were cut or moved, though. EJ4 was moved by the Lambs for salary cap reasons. The Titans are staring at a major rebuild and chose to not give him the big payday he will be due after the season. Neither move has much to do with his talent of character.

Those teams did not identify EJ4 as their must-have building block or one of the foundation pieces.

 

[Kamcussionator]

The players voted him captain before he was traded. Sounds like FO meddling all the way.

 

[Jac]

At the risk of comparing him to a team legend and future HOF player, this trade kind of reminds me of Seattle acquiring Lynch for a fourth-rounder early in Carroll's tenure. Same compensation, same kind of toughness, same kind of tone setter for what their respective head coaches want to do.

 

[GemCity]

Press Conf EJ

Yah…think I love this dude already…

 

[hawks85]

From his debut press conference with us I had a feeling about this. This guy is gonna grab the bull by the horns and glue this defense together. The Seahawks will pay this man next year. Like the OP stated, Jones is our Roquan

 

[renofox]

Those teams did not identify EJ4 as their must-have building block or one of the foundation pieces.

HATER!

jk I love the enthusiasm on this thread but, for this reason, I can't get too excited yet. I hope he's a good fit and will be happy if he can provide slightly above average play. Even just that level will help the team tremendously. If he turns out to be pro-bowl level, I'll be ecstatic.

 

[Appyhawk]

Yeah , he didn't like Seattle for some reason . Glad he's a Seahawk now.

He talks a lot of smack in that mic'd up with the Rams .

Pretty sure he said in his initial press con in Seattle he disliked playing Seattle because they were always tough to deal with.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Maybe he will be good. But bear in mind, the LBs were the weak point of the Rams - even in their SB run.

That doesn't mean he is trash. His numbers seem decent if not good. But trading for an ex-Rams LB is like trading for an ex-Seahawk OL.

We will see. Right now our LB group is a putrid pile of festering garbage layered in clumps of steaming goat vomit - so fixing that would be great. Just need to see it.

 

[RedAlice]

So...Ernest led the Hawks in tackles with 15 (7 solo), the next highest tackler had 7.

 

[toffee]

Maybe he will be good. But bear in mind, the LBs were the weak point of the Rams - even in their SB run.

That doesn't mean he is trash. His numbers seem decent if not good. But trading for an ex-Rams LB is like trading for an ex-Seahawk OL.

We will see. Right now our LB group is a putrid pile of festering garbage layered in clumps of steaming goat vomit - so fixing that would be great. Just need to see it.

One of the potential problem with EJ4, he maybe an upper-middle-tier player, but he thinks of himself as elite. With that mindset, he maybe harder to manage, and teams (Rams and Titans) didn't want to spend that much effort massaging or managing his ego.

Total speculation here, just my suspicion based on teams do not trade away YOUNG, up and comers, as those are building blocks.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Dude had 15 fricken tackles, that's pretty damn good.

 

[Ramfan128]

I'm very excited about the addition. Ernest Jones could be the missing piece.

Coming out of college, he wasn't highly regarded and he was thought of as being too slow (4.72) and not very athletic, but with a high football IQ. In retrospect, that opinion that he isn't athletic wasn't right, you can tell from the tape as well as his other measurables, like his vertical (38.5" - 93rd percentile) and broad jump (126" - 97th percentile) that he is very athletic.

The Rams drafted Jones in the 3rd round and started him in 2021, but felt ambivalent enough about him that they signed Bobby Wagner to take his spot in 2022 and moved Jones to the outside. He floundered there due to having more coverage responsibilities, which is not his strength. So when Jones bounced back and had a pretty good year in 2023, the Rams were unconvinced that he was their long-term answer at the mike position.

The speculation is that McVay and Snead didn't like Jones despite the fact that Jones was team captain and the leader of a surprisingly good defense last year. The most obvious reasons that articles have brought up is that he had knee issues last year and in training camp this year. And apparently, Jones and the Rams were far apart in talks about a long-term contract.

Looking at possible reasons for Rams' shocking Ernest Jones trade, from a bad knee to a talent regression

Things happen remarkably quickly in the NFL, especially when you’re on the outside looking in. Take the Ernest Jones trade, for example. On Saturday, he was viewed by the general public as a key player for the Rams and likely a captain of the defense once again. On Sunday,…

theramswire.usatoday.com

In this article, it says that McVay, who is usually good with the media, got very testy when asked about the Jones trade to the Titans this summer, and would only say that it was "best for the team." McVay also said that the Rams were good at LB with Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom. Those guys are ranked 61st and 73rd on PFF.

Andrew Whitworth also trashed Jones on Twitter, and also added as a reason for trading Jones the current NFL wisdom that you shouldn't pay linebackers. It's the same reason the Bears traded Roquan Smith. But the reality is that good players are hard to find at that position, and you can't stop the run without good linebackers.

Yep it almost certainly was that we had no plans to re-sign him, and then how he handled that. My best guess (in these situations McVay will never say one way or another) is that he could have come back from his injury during camp sooner, but used that to "hold out" a bit, and then when that came out we had had enough.

There was zero benefit to trading him. We got nothing in return, and he is clearly better than what we have at the position. Add in how testy McVay got in that press conference, SOMETHING had to have happened.