Sea Hawkers Podcast: The Official Podcast Of The Official Booster Club Of The Seattle Seahawks

Minicamp has wrapped up for the Seahawks and now the team goes into a long six week stretch of the offseason before training camp starts up around the end of July. The purpose of mini camp and OTAs was clearly to hype up as many players as possible as Coach Carroll runs through a list of players who looked great. Earl Thomas was the only Seahawks player who didn't show up and joins other players in the division like Aaron Donald and David Johnson who are sitting out to try and get a new contract. Adam and Brandan run through the arguments commonly used against players who want more money as Adam calls out anyone who is against Thomas as being "pro-billionaire." Which strangely leads into a discussion about Paul Allen's Stratolaunch - the world's largest airplane. The NFL's Top 100 list continues and the guys pick up on the list of quarterbacks and the players who ranked out before Russell Wilson made his highest appearance on the list at number 11. Bobby Wagner shows up at the top linebacker behind Luke Kuec

The Seahawks continue their OTAs and are also continuing to add to the roster. Brandon Marshall signed with the Seahawks this past week to a low-risk contract. Can Marshall be successful with Seattle at 34? There's one player who he compares well to who also played into his mid 30s at the end of his career bouncing from team to team. The guys explore some of his history and how it could impact the team. Pete Carroll and the two coordinators spoke to the media last week. There was a difference in sincerity in Carroll's voice when it came to hyping up his two new coaches. He also was hyping up one of his second-year receivers. Which one could step up this year and how are things going to shake out with this year's group of running backs. Schotty seems to be the go-to nickname for the new OC, but the guys are exploring other options and it leads to a rather lengthy discussion about Schotty's headwear. Ken Norton is back in Seattle and local reporters may need to be reminded that he coaches the entire defense now

It turns out Russell Wilson has life problems just like the rest of us. The guys talk about a recent issue with one of Wilson's Great Dane puppies illustrating this and it is something that Adam relates to.  The main feature this week is a look at a methodology for finding which running backs have historically had success behind an offensive line ranked in the bottom 10 in the league.  We went back and looked for running backs who finished in the top 10 in yards, but had an offensive line that finished in the bottom 10 for adjusted line yards. We found that since 1997, this has happened 34 times. Taking a look at the distribution of where these running backs were drafted, half of them were drafted in the first round and 75% in the first two rounds. The guys talk about some of these top backs and what it could mean for the Seahawks this year. Visit our blog page for a full list of the running backs and where they ranked in yards with their offensive line ranking. There were some rule changes announced this pas

We start off the show with some sad news this week after Chuck Knox passed away at the age of 86. Seahawks fans also got some closure on Cliff Avril's injury as he was waived from the team. But the positive news was that he'd be sticking around and joining a local radio station. The Seahawks are back! Back to being the underdogs we've known prior to their Super Bowl victory. Adam and Brandan talk about why that is while going into some of the questions that we have about the 2018 season.  Among those questions has to do with the offensive line and a recent Field Gulls article has Adam musing if Mike Solari is the coaching version of Jay Cutler. In other news, after retiring from coaching, Bruce Arians may now be more of a part of our lives as Seahawks fans than he was by coaching in the division. Earl Thomas is still in the news and we expect that he is probably not going to get an extension before the season. But he is going to be a member of the Seahawks this year - so stop it with the Cowboys talk! And spe

Continuing our draft coverage this week as we eavesdrop in on their phone calls with John Schneider and Pete Carroll for most of the Seahawks draft picks. Of course the player from Montana would be the one call we'd need to censor with a catfish, and the call to Shaquem Griffin to let him know he's joining his brother in Seattle would be about as emotional as one would expect. Adam offers his thoughts on the selections of each of the picks and both of the guys break tradition and actually give a letter grade to the Seahawks for the class as a whole. With the selection of a punter in the fifth round, a lot of people were seeming to make a big deal about how the Seahawks traded up to make that selection, but the guys explain how little that criticism means at that point in the draft. In fact, they talk about how taking a player at that point in the draft may make it easier to point toward a successful 2018 draft a couple years down the road. Some cool show news: We're now on the Amazon Echo devices! You can say

The 2018 NFL Draft is in the books for the Seahawks and the team made worldwide news by taking Shaquem Griffin, twin brother of Shaquille Griffin, in the fifth round of the draft. Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome and had his left hand amputated at age four. He becomes the first one-handed player drafted into the NFL. Seattle continued their push to improve the run game by being the second team to take a running back in the draft and selecting Rashaad Penny out of San Diego State. Will Dissly became the first player from the University of Washington drafted by the Seahawks since Jerramy Stevens was taken in the first round back in 2002. The full list of Seattle Seahawks players selected: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State Rasheem Green, DE, USC Will Dissly, TE, Washington Shaquem Griffin, OLB, Central Florida Tre Flowers, S, Oklahoma State Michael Dickson, P, Texas Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio St. Jake Martin, EDGE, Temple Alex Mcgough, QB, Florida International Rob Staton of seahawksdraftblog.com off

Pete Carroll was interviewed last week on 950 KJR and touched on a number of storylines that have come up throughout the offseason. The guys listen in and comment on his thoughts about looking at Josh Allen this offseason, Pete's answer to whether or not Earl Thomas will be a Seahawk in 2018 and if there's anything we should be reading into why he's not at voluntary workouts. One of the news items from this past week was that Michael Bennett admitted to reading books during Pete's meetings. Carroll addressed that along with the reason why there have been some key departures from the team and how part of it has to do with his perception of a player's focus. At 21:48, Rob Staton is back on the show to talk about some of the offensive prospects the Seahawks have visited with. With a shift in philosophy based on the outcome of last year's top pick, Rob thinks that Christian Kirk could be a relatively safe pick for Seattle and a guy who can have an impact at receiver and on special teams. We also revisit the offen

After taking a couple days to take in the Seahawks schedule and compare it to other schedules throughout the league, Dave Bloomquist joins Brandan on the show to talk about his breakdown and why the Seahawks have received one of the three most difficult schedules in the NFL. At first glance, the back end of the schedule set up nicely for Seattle, but when you consider the minor advantages given to opponents early on it may not make a difference by the end of the year.  One advantage the Seahawks did get over past seasons is the weather. Traditionally the trip to Carolina happens early in the season but is much later this year. Dave runs through his list of teams who have the top 3 most beneficial schedules. Not surprising to him was that the Patriots were one of those teams. But one of the Seahawks rivals also landed in his top 3 most favorable schedules, but it wasn't the team one might expect. Subscribe via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | TuneIn | Facebook | Twitter | RSS Or listen

We kick off our 200th show with a big announcement. Seattle had landed what might just be the biggest catch in free agency. John Schneider has gone fishing and he landed a Seabass. It only took 200 shows for Adam to feel like the Seahawks might be tuning in to hear his thoughts on some of the most needed additions to the team. Seattle is set to make a bunch of new additions to the team in a couple of weeks with the 2018 NFL Draft right around the corner. Rob Staton of seahawksdraftblog.com joins the show to talk about some of the college players who have visited with the Seahawks. Rob gives his thoughts on what he thinks it would take for the Seahawks to stay put with the 18th pick and forego drafting on the second day of the draft. He also discusses his philosophy around some of the players who might not have draftable grades, but are among the names Seattle is bringing in for a private visit. That may have an impact on where these players decide to go if they are among the many undrafted free agents at the

During last week's show we discussed the logical reasoning why John Schneider might be watching Wyoming QB Josh Allen throw at his pro day. Not long after, a comment about a Russell Wilson rep talking to Schneider suddenly turned into rampant speculation of Wilson's future departure from the team. The guys go back to the comment that kicked it off to discuss what could have happened to generate this wave of terrifying stories. The guys run down some of the skill position players that the Seahawks have reportedly met with over the past few months. Quarterback Chris Streveler heads up the list and has a beard worth checking out. Of the three running backs, Ito Smith may have the best story behind how he was named, and one of the three receivers has "stick and stay" hands. They've even talked to a fullback that could help solve some of the short yardage woes we've seen from the team in past seasons. Adam's audio while on the road cuts out right before the end of the first half of the show and so we flip over to

Seahawks General Manager John Schneider was interviewed this past week and we now have the official term for how to characterize this offseason. We were too drastic by referring to it as a Hawkpocalypse? Maybe so, although John's son Jack shares many of the same questions we fans have. With almost half of the most highly paid Seahawks players under contract for just one season left, what kind of reset could we see next season? In the history of the team, the Seahawks have never lost more than two Pro Bowl caliber players in an offseason. But this team there will be at least three who won't return. But there were some moments in Seahawks history where the sheer number of turnover within the starting lineup was more than half from the previous season. One of those times was when Coach Carroll first arrived, another was when the team was just getting going in the late 70s. Earl Thomas wants to be a Seahawk for life and types out a note to share online about what Seattle has meant to him. Trevonne Boykin is no lo

The Seahawks have signed what many hope to be their most impactful free agent signing yet by bringing in D.J. Fluker. Fluker is another top draft pick from the 2013 season, and Kenneth Arthur, managing editor of Field Gulls, joins us to talk about the move along with some of his observations from the offseason to this point. One of the things Kenneth likes best about the Fluker signing - it's better than paying top dollar for the other guards who hit the market. But the best possible outcome might be finding a guard via the draft who can ultimately take over at that position. Despite all of the change this offseason, Kenneth says the direction of the team seems to be an approach toward sticking to the philosophy that got the team to a Super Bowl. Cutting Richard Sherman even allows them to keep last year's roster together as much as possible by allowing them to keep Dion Jordan, Justin Coleman, Bradley McDougald and potentially Byron Maxwell. The Seahawks were at their best when they had rookies playing at a

We didn't think it would happen last offseason, and we still didn't expect it to happen this offseason, but Richard Sherman is no longer a member of the Seahawks now. What's worse is that he's actually a member of the San Francisco 49ers. A team that he seemed to have an strong sports hate for himself while Jim Harbaugh was coaching there. Adam and Brandan talk about how difficult it is to see him go there, but also with an understanding of why it made it an easy choice for him based on the circumstances. A big cast of characters is heading out the door as we enter free agency and we give a Hunger Games style sendoff to Sherman, Deshawn Shead, Jeremy Lane, Jimmy Graham, Paul Richardson and Sheldon Richardson. As all those players head out the door there's just a few coming back through it to start free agency. The guys talk about why that is and what it could mean for the upcoming season at this point. Because this was a tough week for so many of us, we read a few thoughts from listeners of the show and take

Apparently the Hawkpocalypse is here and it has started with Michael Bennett being traded to the Eagles. Before that trade was announced, reports came out that Richard Sherman was saying goodbye to teammates and reports are suggesting that his release from the team is imminent. But after listening to reports that he was going to be traded last year, is this actually going to happen? Danny Kelly of the Ringer, former editor in chief at Field Gulls, joins the show and believes that this offseason will be the end of an era in Seattle and that it's time to "reboot" the defense with a younger group of players. After the Bennett trade, playing younger players is one of the main points that seems to resonate now from John Schneider's press conference at the combine. Danny was there and talks about some of the rumors he heard there and also about Shaquem Griffin and his combine performance. If the Seahawks do free up some cap space going into free agency, we talk about where to spend the money. Danny talks about the

To talk NFL combine action over the weekend, Rob Staton of seahawksdraftblog.com joins the show to talk about his takeaways from the event. Before getting to the prospects, they discuss Pete Carroll and John Schneider's press conference as well as the recent reports of the Seahawks interest to find a trade partner for Michael Bennett. We kick off our discussion about the combine by talking about running backs and offensive line, considering the weakness of the Seahawks last year and running the football. The guys look as possible picks in the earlier rounds as well as potential players on day 3 of the draft. Rob considers running backs and interior offensive lineman a strength of this draft and Adam is happy there might be some top guards who played guard in college. John Schneider was asked about Lamar Jackson during his press conference and Brandan and Adam speculate on why his response was somewhat intriguing and Rob offers his perspective on the range of the draft board Jackson should land. They also get

With the new league year and free agency just a couple weeks away, this week's show focuses on how the Seahawks should approach free agency. Is it best to fill needs through free agency or trust your scouting and address the biggest needs through the draft? The guys look at the various position groups for the ones that seem to be the most critical to address this offseason. When looking at the offensive line, it seems as though there's still a spot on this team for George Fant even with Tom Cable now in Oakland, but Adam doesn't want to admit it. There was a recent article by a Seattle reporter and national analyst toying with the idea that the Seahawks should consider trading Russell Wilson. With that in mind, the guys mock up a phone call between the general managers of the Browns and Seahawks. (31:57) How the Seahawks approach free agency will also be dependent on how they view their chances at getting compensatory picks in the 2019 draft. Brandan talks about which Seahawks free agents could net Seattle so

The Seahawks will have the opportunity to use their franchise tag as early as this week. Who are some of the players who the team might target? The guys look at some recent metrics on the pass rush as well as the running game. They also discuss the interest among media to try and break up the Legion of Boom as the story lines around Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman are now clear going through the offseason. Samuel Gold breaks down the Brian Schottenheimer offense after taking a look at game tape from when he was the offensive coordinator for the 2014 St. Louis Rams.  Gold talks about the things he disliked from the offensive line in terms of the zone blocking scheme and ways that could improve this coming season. Sam talks about Jimmy Graham and the marginal difference in cost between what Graham could command versus bringing in another player to fill his shoes. The guys run through the top names among free agents on the offensive line, which doesn't take long. Sam also gets into some of his fa

The biggest news of the week seems to be the Russell Wilson trade from the Rangers to the New York Yankees. With media speculation about how this could impact the Seahawks, Adam and Brandan talk about how this will in no way have an impact and the reasons why. With the NFL Combine approaching, Rob Staton of seahawksdraftblog.com joins us for the first time this offseason and covers a lot of ground with some of his top picks from the Senior Bowl to join the Seahawks. He talks about what it would likely take in terms of personnel moves to get the John Schneider to stick with the 18th pick overall. Considering the amount of talent among running backs this year, Rob advocates for taking a guy in the first two rounds to get a player with top tier talent. To help Seahawks fans enjoy the Combine, Rob explains some of the things to look for while watching the event to try and identify players the Seahawks might be interested in. He explains the measurements among running backs to key in on, watching the mirror drills

We look back and look ahead in this week's show. First we start by congratulating the Philadelphia Eagles on their Super Bowl title over the Patriots. Adam believes he may be living in some alternate reality. We then look back at some of the worst free agent moves in Seattle's history, especially considering how the 2017 free agency period went. Looking ahead, we talk about the red zone production for the Seahawks and how that could potentially change in 2018 with the departure of Jimmy Graham. Evan Hill from Hawkblogger.com joins the show this week to talk about the likelihood that Seattle's primary defensive players should be with the team next season. Considering Sheldon Richardson could command top dollar, there are also some significant risks and we talk about why compensatory picks could play a role. With his latest article, Evan talks about why it's important to have rookies who can fill the role of the "middle class" players teams pick up or re-sign in free agency. We talk about three moves that the S

As the Seahawks launch into the offseason with a clear goal of running the football better, this week we look at a team who made some dramatic shifts on offense a year ago and ended up playing for a chance at the Super Bowl this year. Adam and Brandan explore if Seattle has the same ability to make the kind of changes that can help make it so just about any running back can have success. They even explore a couple free agent prospects depending on the type of direction the team may want to go. Now that Tom Cable is in Oakland, are there any Seahawks players he might want to bring with him? Germaine Ifedi and Justin Britt would be two clear candidates and there is a relationship between the two teams to make things happen. Mock draft season is kicking off and two of the more prominent names in the media have seemed to agree on the narrative we'll be hearing from the national media on how the Seahawks should approach the draft. To talk about the Seahawks run game and a common myth held in the NFL, Sean Clement