Schwartz: Seahawks’ OL mistakes start with draft approach

[MontanaHawk05]

http://sports.mynorthwest.com/392010/se ... -approach/

“That’s what happens when you draft guys you don’t have a plan for,” Schwartz said. “You draft these guys with high upside instead of drafting guys who are ready to play now.

This is a possibility I've been tossing about in my head for a while now.

When Cable drafts a player and they fail, it's never really about lack of tools or potential. The one thing these guys all have in common is shuddering, crazy athleticism. Pocic is the first guy they've drafted who falls outside that vision. Odhiambo, Glowinski, Ifedi...noted for being extremely raw and undeveloped, but with immense ceiling thanks to their tools and strength. Carpenter and Sweezy, same. I remember Kearly commenting when Russell Okung was drafted, that Okung could "cheat" his way along while he developed because of his long arms and strength.

That, I think, has been Cable's failed gamble. He's thinking that if he can find guys with crazy athletic potential and get technique into them, they'll become top-flight linemen. Problem is it takes time, and they're starting with such a low floor of technique that it may or may not come.

Perhaps now, with the new staff, we'll get more of a focus on complete linemen who can play. The problem is - as Cable kept saying, and as the draft keeps bearing out - those guys are usually gone within the first 15 picks.

 

[Danny Darko]

At this point i think we need to make cap space and build the Line through Free Agency. A RT and a Guard would go a long way.

Britt has taught us there is hope for late development if you set a player up in the right spot and coach them up otherwise i'd be on the cut Ifedi train .

Grahams probably gone, so I can't think of a better place to spend his cap room than a couple players on both lines.

 

[Tusc2000]

They draft O-linemen who can play multiple positions, rather than grabbing the best guy available. We could have had Cam Robinson this year and he would have come in ready to start and Day 1.

 

[Sox-n-Hawks]

They draft O-linemen who can play multiple positions, rather than grabbing the best guy available. We could have had Cam Robinson this year and he would have come in ready to start and Day 1.

This! 100000%

 

[Seymour]

Exactly why I've been pounding that our entire oline philosophy is a fail for 3 years. Train them on the field while they completely suck, get our QB and RB's killed, then they begin to get it and you let them go because it costs too much to keep them. What a great service we are providing for the rest of the NFL. #ShitOlineSyndrome

 

[Seymour]

They draft O-linemen who can play multiple positions, rather than grabbing the best guy available. We could have had Cam Robinson this year and he would have come in ready to start and Day 1.

Robinson was my choice too. I completely expected to never see him here after knowing how we draft.

 

[chris98251]

La'el Collins, we could have had him for a low 1st round salary I think, he was found innocent yet passed.

 

[adeltaY]

They draft O-linemen who can play multiple positions, rather than grabbing the best guy available. We could have had Cam Robinson this year and he would have come in ready to start and Day 1.

Robinson was my choice too. I completely expected to never see him here after knowing how we draft.

Would not be surprised if Robinson turned into Ifedi 2.0 with us. Lots of the same things were said about him and Ifedi around draft time. Maybe the difference is coaching? :mrgreen:

 

[Missing_Clink]

This has been true and going on for 4 years now. Why did the media continue to slobber over Cable the guru until the end, and only once he was finally fired several years too late does anyone actually publicly point out what a bad job he was doing?

 

[Seymour]

They draft O-linemen who can play multiple positions, rather than grabbing the best guy available. We could have had Cam Robinson this year and he would have come in ready to start and Day 1.

Robinson was my choice too. I completely expected to never see him here after knowing how we draft.

Would not be surprised if Robinson turned into Ifedi 2.0 with us. Lots of the same things were said about him and Ifedi around draft time. Maybe the difference is coaching? :mrgreen:

Ya, I'll give you that Cable could have turned Robinson into Fant 1.0 in a few weeks time.

 

[TheLegendOfBoom]

You know a person that can do everything, they can't do any one thing particularly well.

Seattle needs to stop picking guys that "play" multiple offensive line positions and just stick with a guy that plays that position really well.

 

[LolaRox]

This has been true and going on for 4 years now. Why did the media continue to slobber over Cable the guru until the end, and only once he was finally fired several years too late does anyone actually publicly point out what a bad job he was doing?

I'm not sure of the answer, but my .02 - national media rarely actually know what's going on and they just repeat what they've heard others say (they don't spend $$, Cable gets crap to work with, blah blah blah...). Local media didn't want to be critical for fear of losing access.

It was very frustrating because, to anyone paying attention, it was clear the Cable was the main reason the line was horrific. In fact, the entire process has been a disaster; talent evaluation/scouting, draft, FA and $$ allocation, teaching/coaching and scheme - it never fit together.

Now that Cable is gone they need to re-evaluate the entire O-Line process starting with scheme & scouting and forward.

 

[jammerhawk]

La'el Collins, we could have had him for a low 1st round salary I think, he was found innocent yet passed.

I hear you and had myself hoped the team would have grabbed him with a late pick then offerred to pay him as an earlier pick conditionally based upon whether he was cleared of the allegations that scared the rest of the league away for the whoile draft.

However, there was this serious uncertainy around him because of the recent death of his ex-gf that scared the crap out of the whole league and it was only Dallas that took a shot b/c Collins wanted to play there. How nice it would have been for Cable to have screwed him up too. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Reality is the team likely couldn't have done that type of deal even then b/c they were screwed with cap issues.

 

[THE TABS]

La'el Collins, we could have had him for a low 1st round salary I think, he was found innocent yet passed.

We could have had him in the SEVENTH round. Cowboys signed him as an UDFA.

 

[hawknation2018]

La'el Collins, we could have had him for a low 1st round salary I think, he was found innocent yet passed.

We could have had him in the SEVENTH round. Cowboys signed him as an UDFA.

Through his attorney, Collins respectful asked that he not be drafted due to the unfounded criminal suspicion against him at the time. All 32 teams respected that request. Plus, Collins has not played that well, so it wasn't a huge loss.

 

[hawkfan68]

http://sports.mynorthwest.com/392010/seahawks-o-line-mistakes-draft-approach/

“That’s what happens when you draft guys you don’t have a plan for,” Schwartz said. “You draft these guys with high upside instead of drafting guys who are ready to play now.

This is a possibility I've been tossing about in my head for a while now.

When Cable drafts a player and they fail, it's never really about lack of tools or potential. The one thing these guys all have in common is shuddering, crazy athleticism. Pocic is the first guy they've drafted who falls outside that vision. Odhiambo, Glowinski, Ifedi...noted for being extremely raw and undeveloped, but with immense ceiling thanks to their tools and strength. Carpenter and Sweezy, same. I remember Kearly commenting when Russell Okung was drafted, that Okung could "cheat" his way along while he developed because of his long arms and strength.

That, I think, has been Cable's failed gamble. He's thinking that if he can find guys with crazy athletic potential and get technique into them, they'll become top-flight linemen. Problem is it takes time, and they're starting with such a low floor of technique that it may or may not come.

Perhaps now, with the new staff, we'll get more of a focus on complete linemen who can play. The problem is - as Cable kept saying, and as the draft keeps bearing out - those guys are usually gone within the first 15 picks.

Good article. Thanks for sharing Montana. Didn't Cable join the Seahawks in 2011? If so he wasn't part of the draft that netted Russell Okung as he was drafted in 2010.