Third and 7

I’m comfortable with the Bruce Irvin pick. We found out the Jets, Ravens, and 49ers were all going to take him in the first.

Let’s look at day 2. We will definitely go after a starting caliber linebacker.

Rather than misspelling some names of guys we won’t end up drafting I’ll just list positions of need.

In order of importance…

1. Linebacker
2. Running Back
3. Offensive Line
4. Wide Receiver
5. Linebacker (we need 2)
6. Tie between TE & DB

Thoughts?

1. Pitbull must be stopped. First Dr. Pepper now Bud Light.

2. I’m glad we traded back. Too bad we couldn’t do it again.

3. We drafted who?

4. Oh and he’s been in jail. Neato….

5. I hope Pete knows what he’s doing.

6. Just watched Irvin’s YouTube highlights… I now get it.

7. High risk high reward pick. Could be the next Jason Pierre-Paul… Or Jevon Kerse.

8. Pete and John said earlier this week they’d take a chance on someone with a checkered past. And they wanted a pure pass rusher. They didn’t lie.

9. I want to go see G.I. Joe.

10. I won’t be buying a Bruce Irvin jersey any time soon.

Thoughts? Anyone think this is a fantastic move? Couldn’t we have traded out of the first round for this guy?

Here’s my first round wish list ranking the guys I’d like to see at no. 12 tonight.

1. Ingram DE
2. Decastro G
3. Kechuey MLB
4. Trade down, get more picks
5. Floyd WR

I didn’t bother spell checking names because…you know… work and all…

Happy draft day everyone!

Here’s how big the NFL is compared to the rest of the major professional sports leagues.  New uniforms in the NFL are a bigger deal than the start of MLB and the playoff push for the NBA.  I took an informal poll on the new ‘Hawks uniforms and found mixed responses.

My father via text – “New Uniforms Suck.”
My brother via text – “They look lame” (He actually said something I can’t repeat.  You can learn lots of new things from 9th graders).
Shawn Knight – “I’m glad Nike didn’t eff them up.”
Third&7′s own @Jonze33 – “New unis are pretty sick.  Which color should we get?”
Third&7′s @chaseperrin – “Do we have to quack at games now?”
My uncle Joel via Facebook – “I like them…”
Long time friend Josh Wanaka – “I wish they went away from the lime green.”
Long time friend Nik Hawkins – “I feel like Vince McMahon is going to pop out at any moment and say “THIS IS THE XFL!!!”

I want to start off by letting everyone know I have no interest in hearing the “tradition” speech.  We have one player in the Hall Of Fame and one trip to the Superbowl.  It’s time to close the chapter on the “Holmgren Years” and look ahead.  In 5 years there will be more teams with uniforms like ours.  Wouldn’t you rather be on the front end of something?  As cliche as it sounds, we are the ground-breakers.  The Cowboys, Steelers, and Packers of the league will always have the same look.  This is not your grandfather’s NFL.

I’m not shocked by what Nike did considering the experiments with the Oregon Duck program.  Nike and the ‘Hawks stepped on a ledge with the design but didn’t get too crazy.  I like the fact that we are the guinea pig of Nike and the rest of the league.  Why not?  It’s fun, new, and it reminds the rest of the country that the Pacific Northwest has some pull in the sports world.

This is also genius marketing by the Seahawks.  We are the 2nd least popular team behind the Jaguars.  Besides trading for Tim Tebow, this will sell Jerseys.  Keep in mind who wears jerseys.  Your 15 year old kid and 24 year old die hard fan will buy as many as they can.  Blue haired Husky fans who bitch about tradition are not wearing this.  Nike and the ‘Hawks nailed their target demographic here.

Don’t count out the players input either. Via twitter Nick Barnett, Jermichael Finley & others came out and said they loved these uniforms.  As an athlete, if you feel better, you will in fact play better.  Between our new uniforms and the VMAC, players not named Peyton Manning will want to come here.

Most of the country wanted us to ditch the green.  Since I’m bitter and hate most of the national media, I then say we need MORE GREEN!  F*CK EM!  GREEN EVERYTHING!  I love that we brought back the gray (there’s your tradition, now shut up).  The alternate gray top is awesome and it will be interesting to see if it will be worn versus white or colored jerseys.

I’d say the green on the pants is a little much but we’ll get used to it.  Gray pants should be standard.  My personal preference is to keep the jersey and pant color separate.  White pants in general are ridiculous.  My wife likes to point out the “reinforced butt-cracks” more visible on white pants.

If you are going to go buy a new jersey my advice would be this…go all out.  The new jerseys have stitching around the numbers that will look much different on replica jerseys.  Go authentic with these ones.

I’d give Nike an 8 out of 1o.

There is no bigger waste of time than speculating off season moves.  But it’s also way fun.  Here’s a list of potential moves I’d like to see.

‘Hawks Free Agents – Lets start by examining some key players we should try to keep or let leave in free agency.

David Hawthorne – David has been an important part of this defense for the last few years.  He will likely get a large offer from another team.  Pete and John have been able to find guys like KJ Wright who can step right in as rookies.  They also don’t value the linebacker position like other teams.  If the big contract doesn’t come… maybe we can see David back in 2012.

Marshawn Lynch – It’s already been published that Lynch will be franchised if we can’t get a long term deal.  He was our entire offense last year.  No question he stays in Seattle.

Charlie Whitehurst – Bye Charlie… Kinda makes trading Seneca for a 7th round pick look stupid.

Red Bryant – Red wants to be paid like a pass rushing defensive end.  Unfortunately he’s a defensive tackle playing defensive end.  I think we keep him unless Pete and John decide to make a splash for a pass rushing defensive end (more on this later).

Leroy Hill – Leroy decided to get busted for pot…again…during a contract year… AGAIN.  This time it was on the day Pete and John were looking at rookie linebackers at the combine.  Bad timing for Leroy.

Justin Forsett / Leon Washington – Justin is a FA but Leon is not.  I grouped them together because they could essentially be replaced by a younger rookie back.  The kick off rules hurt Leon and he didn’t do much on punt returns this year.  I’d like to see them both move on and a younger RB with a higher ceiling come in to spell Marshawn.

Marcus Trufaunt – Marcus is still under contract but can become a cap casualty.  He got hurt last year and clearly got out-played by Sherman and Browner.  As an unofficial WSU fan, I love Marcus and want him to stay in Seattle for the entirety of his career.  People think we can use him as bait to move up in the draft.  That won’t happen.  Seattle fans constantly overvalue their own players and think another team will take our declining talent.  He can stay and restructure his deal, but don’t be surprised if he gets released before the season starts next fall.

John Carlson – John had a great rookie year but clearly regressed.  He’s coming off an injury and may resign for a small deal.  I think another team will offer him a decent contract letting him go.

Street Free Agents I Don’t Want

Peyton Manning - You sick and tired of hearing about Peyton Manning?  No?  Then you’re the only one.  I’m completely sick of this saga and we have another two months before we find out where he ends up.  He’s not coming to Seattle.  Peyton wants to be in a big market.  Remember when he was on every other TV commercial two years ago?  You think he’ll get those opportunities for endorsements in “Southwest Alaska?”  He’s going to end up in Washington DC.  If not there, Arizona where he won’t have to worry about the wind and rain on a weekly basis.  I personally want a more mobile QB and don’t see the point in going after a guy who’s past his prime and has neck issues.

Matt Flynn - Matt was a 7th round pick.  He’s a career back up who fit well in the Packers offense.  You would also have to pay him Kevin Kolb money which would scare the crap out of me.  Let the Dolphins overpay for him.  Spend the QB money this year on a defensive end.

Street Free Agents Worth Considering

Josh Johnson - You’ve never heard of Josh but he’s a mobile back up QB who can compete in camp for either the 2 or 3 spot.  Not an exciting player by any means but we need 3-4 QBs on this team to compete with Tarvaris.

Jacob Hester - This additional fullback would be a luxury more than a necessity.  With the limited roster space, it’s uncommon to carry 2 fullbacks.  Since we have a crappy QB situation this coming year, I’d like to see us bolster the backfield with another versatile fullback who can catch out of the backfield and block for Lynch.  This really won’t happen but hell…it works in Madden.

Mario Williams - OK, someone I really really really really want.  We can offer Mario a contract similar to what Julius Peppers got from the Bears.  This would solidify the DE position and then Pete and John would have more flexibility in the draft.  I personally don’t like any of the defensive ends in the draft so this would be a great signing.  If you sign Mario, you are done in free agency.  He’ll cost a ton.

DeSean Jackson - This guy is a total tool.  But sweet mother of God, he’s good.  If we could keep him motivated, he’d give our offense instant credibility.  We wouldn’t be able to afford DeSean and Mario Williams or a franchise QB.  The Eagles could also franchise him ending this speculation.

So What Does It All Mean???

Here’s what I’d like to see.  Pay Mario Williams to solidify the defense.  Then use the draft to fill in the holes below.  This is assuming we can trade out of the 12th pick and get a few more picks / players.  Here are some guys or more importantly types of guys I’d like to see us target.  Keep in mind, Pete likes to draft 7 players we’ve never heard of.

QB – Ryan Tannehill or another mobile QB.  Maybe Russel Wilson.
MLB – Vontaze Burfict would be my choice if he wasn’t such a dumb stereotype with insane character issues.  Drafting two linebackers would not be out of the question.  Burfict was so bad at the combine, we could get him without using a draft pick.
RB – Chris Rainey or another “scat” or speed type RB.  Chris Polk isn’t the speed type guy, but he’d be a fan favorite and could learn form Marshawn.  If we sign Mario, we could use the first round pick on Trent Richardson.  That’s one way to help the offense without overpaying for a crappy or washed up QB.  David Wilson from Virginia Tech is also a possibility at running back.
OL – Another offensive guard who could move to tackle in a pinch would be a huge asset.  Gallery was a bust last year.  I said it.
WR – If a receiver falls into our lap, I say we jump on it.  I’m done with Golden Tate, Deon Butler, Ben Obomanu and Mike Williams.  Sidney Rice can’t stay healthy so depth will be needed.
DE – If we miss on Mario Williams, we’ll probably use the 12th pick to go after a guy like Courney Upshaw from Alabama.