Bleacher Report - Articles by Sam Woods

Darnell Dockett Has Something To Teach Us

Sam Woods — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:38:26 -0500

Over the last couple of days, I've heard a lot of whining from Seahawks fans over Darnell Dockett pressing a forearm to Matt Hasselbeck's throat.

Honestly, it has been blown way out of proportion.

I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, even in a rivalry game. However, when trying to recover a lost fumble, there are a lot worse things that happen at the bottom of that pile, even in a Browns/Bucs type of game.

Remember in the preseason, when TJ Houshmandzadeh was supposedly bringing a "no man left behind" attitude to the Seahawks? Well where was it there? The offensive line can't let Dockett get there in the first place; and most certainly shouldn't let anyone (let alone a cocky Cardinal defensive lineman) give any kind of harm to your QB without immediately getting flopped back on the ground.

This kind of softness needs to die along with the Holmgren era. Under Mike Holmgren, the team was built to not get stupid penalties, to throw the rock around and move the chains. You were there to do a job, not to get chippy.

It needs to end. Like it or not, under Knapp we are headed towards being a four yards at a time running team that doesn't take crap from anyone. This sort of east coast idea of football has been brought to the division with Whisenhunt, Singletary and Spagnuolo. It needs to happen in Seattle if we are to remain competitive in the division.

I pray Ruskell realizes this and backs off his only welcoming of the good guys in the NFL to Seattle. This season is a lost cause. This offseason, a change is in order.

It's time Seattle, put down your coffee and throw out your Fruit Loops. Tomorrow's breakfast is a heaping bowl of rusty nails and a can of Coors.

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks: Sweet Revenge

Sam Woods — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:24:04 -0400

For the first time in years, the Seahawks utterly destroyed a halfway decent team. For the first time in years, this is an inspired group. For the first time in years, the defense has shut down a legit offense.

And for the first time in what seems like years, the Cardinals will realize the true masters of the rivalry.

While San Francisco is the dominant team in the division right now, with a win the Hawks can go into their bye 3-3 with a lot of momentum, confidence, and yes, for the first time in years, swagger.

Three Keys to Seahawk Victory

Eliminating the Cardinal run game— This isn't hard to do, but it has to be done. While a backfield of Tim Hightower and Chris Wells doesn't scare me, a lot of 2nd and 5s and 3rd and 3s do scare me.

This also means stopping quick routes and WR screens at the line of scrimmage. Last year those routes killed us.

Warner can still sling it, especially with a trio of Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston. They cannot be allowed to take over the game, or else it's a steep climb for Seattle.

Producing our own running game— This is for the same reason we want to stop Arizona'a run game, only flipped. I believe whoever can produce the most on the ground, wins.

The Defensive Front— The Seahawks defensive line has been surprisingly solid, bringing down the quarterback 14 times in five games. The Cardinals offensive line, not surprisingly, has played poorly, especially the tackles.

This ties into shutting down the run game because if Warner is forced to throw, the line can play pass rush right off the ball. If Hightower and Wells are continually stuffed, then look for the front seven to have a big day.

Matchup to Watch— The Defense and 12th man vs. Kurt Warner and his O-Line.

It's simple really. If Warner is continually pressured and backed up by false starts, he will lose. If the defense has to play run first then pass, and the OL remains disciplined, the Cards will win.

I like the Hawks in this game because Hasselbeck has these guys incredibly inspired. The offense is clicking, and the defense plays great at home.

Hawks win big.

Prediction : Seattle 31, Arizona 16

Seattle Seahawks-Chicago Bears: The Tough Part Continues

Sam Woods — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:21:38 -0400

"It's extremely unlikely Matt will play," said Jim Mora.

Am I alone in asking, "is this really that bad?"

The Bears' defense is one of the most aggressive in the league. Seneca is way more mobile than Hasselbeck. If Seneca makes the correct reads about when to run and when to pass, he could easily tire out this Bears defense.

Expect to see Knapp use this. I expect to see a lot of creativeness in this game. I believe Seneca will have a day tomorrow, I really do.

Let me put this way. He has to, because even at Quest, the Bears are the better team.

My Keys to the Game

1. Our Front Seven vs. Their Front Seven

In other words, dominate the trenches. Matt Forte cannot have a big day. The Bears have to be one-dimensional for us to win. I'd like to see Cutler in a lot of 3rd-and-9s with thousands of Hawk fans on their feet.

2. Olindo Mare's Leg

This goes for Jon Ryan as well. If the Bears consistently have to start at their 20 or even farther back, it'll be difficult to score with a loud Quest Field. Also, I can see a lot of our drives ending at the Chicago 20 or 30-yard lines. Mare has to be money splitting the uprights tomorrow.

3. Hit them first/ Dominate the play clock

Chicago will come in here still high off that victory against Pittsburgh. Whether we start on offense or defense, the Hawks need to deliver the first blow. After that, we need to use Seneca legs to dominate the play clock and not give Cutler the chance to make a last-second comeback.

Matchup to Watch: Jay Cutler vs. 12th Man

I don't believe Jay has ever played in Seattle. I'm very interested how someone like him can handle the noise and confusion that goes on here.

Another one to watch is Seneca vs. a depleted linebacking core. Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tonoisama are out, and defensive lineman Alex Brown is questionable. John Carlson is looking like he might have a big game.

Prediction: Seahawks 17, Bears 16

1-1: Quick Hits on San Francisco's Shellacking of the Hawks By the Bay

Sam Woods — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:30:17 -0400

Now do you believe the 49ers are for real?

In the words of Coach Green "They are who we thought they were!!!" The 49ers ran the ball up and down the end zones and kept the Seahawks off balance on offense, never letting them get into the rhythm they're accustomed to.

Let's take a look at my three keys to the game very quickly.

1. Absorbing the niner pass rush: Not really. The 49ers dominated the trenches all day, something you can't let them do if you want to beat them.

2. Neutralizing the niner ground game: Hell no. End of story.

3. Establish at least the threat of a run game: Finding yourself in a lot of second and 11s and third and eights is exactly not what a balanced offense is about.

Granted, the Seahawks have a plethora of injuries. But at some point, we have to stop making excuses and feeling sorry for ourselves. If we keep losing because we are old and banged up, maybe its time to tear down and rebuild.

I'm not saying that's the case, as it is week two and we are tied for second place. But honestly, realize the facts as they come.

1. Seattle is not a good road team.

2. San Francisco is a very physical team, the Hawks aren't at that level yet.

3. You can't expect to be prolific winners when the core of your team is past their prime and are part of a prior system.

That's why you can't be shocked Seattle lost this game.

Next week we have the Bears, who just knocked off the Steelers at Soldier, at Qwest. It's time for the veterans to find themselves again. It's time for the players to put up, so the fans can shut up.

Next Up: Chicago Bears (1-1) Is there an echo in here?

Denver Bronco Watch: Ugh. 27-6 over the Browns. This is the high of their season. It all snowballs downhill after this. After the Raiders next week they play New England, at San Diego, at Baltimore, Pittsburgh, at Washington, San Diego, and the G-Men.

Hahahahahaha McDaniels to walk the plank Hahahahahaha I love it!

Quest For Dos-Cero: Seattle Seahawks at The Mine

Sam Woods — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:50:15 -0400

Wow am I excited. I am so jacked for this game, its a shame I might miss it. Anyway, back to the grind.

Whether or not you or the Hawks realize it, this is a huge game. The 49ers are good, and you can bet the house they'll come out ready to knock some heads. For years that team has been a bottom feeder of one of the worst divisions in football. In Week One, they knocked the Cardinals into a daze and grabbed media attention. Second on the checklist is Seattle.

I hope they don't, but the Seahawks may very well go into The Mine thinking ahead to games against Chicago and Indianapolis. Not to mention the Hawks have been pretty bad on the road historically.

To add to the importance of the contest, the Hawks need to stockpile wins early, when the weather is sunny and dry. Relying on the passing attack in a cold blustery winter afternoon is not a good strategy.

Keys to a Seahawk Victory

1. Absorbing the niner pass rush. The main reason for the 49er overthrow of Arizona was their ability to collapse the pocket. Kurt Warner was constantly throwing off his back foot all day, which led to two picks and a fumble.

Granted, even the current battered assembly of starting lineman is better than the Cardinals. This, however, doesn't mean Hasselbeck can't suffer the same fate as Warner.

The 49ers secondary is not good, and can be easily picked apart by even a Kyle Orton if he's given time. On offense, keeping Hasselbeck upright may be the biggest "have to," to win.

2. Neutralizing the niner ground game. In other words, how will Shaun Hill's arm beat you? Trick question, it can't. He's there to manage the game, not win or lose it himself. Singletary will pound the run and play smashmouth football, not throw the ball like little sissy teams.

What I'm trying to get to is that Frank Gore can take over a game. The Cardinals were able to hold him until it counted, the Seahawks need hit him hard early, often and then finish the job.

I'll take my chances with Shaun Hill.

3. Establish at least the threat of a run game. Betting on game changing runs against San Francisco's backers is generally not a good idea. On the other hand, you can't become one dimensional against a defense this good.

Julius Jones won't have to run for 100 yards with three scores on Sunday. He will be used sparingly to keep the defense at least a little hesitant. He will not have the game of his life, but if he checks out, it could end up costing this team a trip to the playoffs.

Trying to beat the 49ers at their own game shouldn't be your gameplan, but giving them a little taste of their own medicine doesn't hurt.

Matchup to Watch: TE John Carlson vs. LB Patrick Willis

Carlson is a stud, and he'll have to play like one. This week he'll take on the role of a possession receiver. His job will be to move chains and provide a big target for Matt when he's under heat.

That's sounds great and all, but he'll have to do it against super talented linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis' job will be to jack Carlson whenever he gets the chance, and disrupt the timing between the tight end and his quarterback.

Whoever wins this battle scores major credits for their respective teams chances at winning.

This game will be the game we see Knapp open up his trick playbook. It'll be a game in which old school smashmouth football clashes with intricate passing and creative trickeries.

What a game this will be.

Prediction: San Francisco 23, Seattle 20

1-0: Quick Hits on the Seattle Seahawks Big Win at Quest

Sam Woods — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:45:57 -0400

To start it off, great win for Seattle. Shutting any team out, even the Rams at Quest, is still quite a feat.

That being said, there were some pretty big causes for concern. Obvious concerns were the number of turnovers, especially early in the game.

One thing we have to remember is that this offense is much different than the West Coast ideas of old. This offense is about big plays, the only problem being that those plays are big for the defense frequently.

Under Greg Knapp, the 'Hawks will be one of the most entertaining scorers in the league. Shot after shot will be taken at the endzone, many times resulting highlight reel scores, but also the dramatic takeaways.

On another note, Aaron Curry is for real. All day he went head up with All Pro Steven Jackson and was pressuring Marc Bulger into hurried throws. All in all he has only four tackles to show for it, but he had a big first day.

Staying on the relative topic, the defense was outstanding and the crowd lived up to its billing once again.

John Carlson is a star. He had six receptions for 95 yards and two scores, including two long receptions to help bring the Hawks to the endzone from their 1/2 yard line.

The only negatives were the turnovers and the fact that the we were facing the St Louis Lambs. This is not the elite team that we need to beat to be real contenders, but beggers can't be choosers.

Nevertheless, its a good day in the rainy city, and Monday will bring happy employees and progress will be made throughout the city. Go Hawks.

Next Up: at San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

Denver Bronco Watch: Mr. Mishandles was one lucky 17-year-old as he was blessed with a bounce from the Gods to beat Cincinnati 12-7. Ugh. It makes me sick.

Minnesota Vikings, Fans, and Brett Favre up for a Rude Awakening

Sam Woods — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:50:43 -0400

Going into the season, I was liking the Vikings more and more in the NFC North.

The Packers lack identity, Jay Cutler is just beginning to tear apart the Bears, and are the Lions even playing this year?

Then, on Aug. 18 2009, which will soon be day of infamy in Minnesota, the Vikings went and signed Brett Favre. Not only that, but the contract was worth $10-12 million.

This is bad on so many levels, but I'll start with the good.

Favre will put butts in the seats, as well as score fat TV contracts. Big money will be coming Minnesota's way.

Another good thing about the signing is it brings a dimension to the Vikings' offense that has been missing for a while: Arm Strength. Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels were not going to give that in any form of the word or act. Favre can still wing it, and he now has an All-Pro at running back to back him up.

The last good thing to come out of this is that Brett supposedly knows the playbook. This remains to be seen, but if true, it can make for a relatively seamless transition.

And now we move to the bad.

For starters, Childress has pulled an act almost as bad as McDaniels in Denver. Childress has alienated, lied, and gone behind the backs of his team, fanbase, and especially quarterbacks Jackson and Rosenfels.

One of you will be our guy. Or not.

Yes, you will get ready. Nope, forget it, Favre's coming back.

Changed my mind, make war with each other. Oops, Brett changed his mind, so I don't care what you do with each other.

Or maybe not. Or maybe so. Possibly. Maybe. Could be.

Childress will be fired at the end of the season, in main part because of his part in this Soap Opera.

Favre has lost the ability to develop chemistry with anyone. Rosenfels has spent the last four or five months developing chemistry and trust amongst him and his receivers.

Now that Favre has swooped in and wants to be the man, that time isn't just moot, it will in fact hurt the team. Favre is not the same quarterback in any way as Rosenfels, and it will take more time to develop something between him and those receivers.

Add to that is that outside of Bernard Berrian, the group is pretty lackluster. Receivers like Donald Driver who can bail Brett out of mistakes are not under contract for the Vikings.

Probably the biggest reason I don't like this move is that Favre doesn't fit in at all. For the Vikings to win, they will need control the clock and keep the ball out of the opposing offense's hands as much as possible.

Favre, particularly at this point in his career, is exceedingly careless with the football. And don't think he'll just watch Adrian Peterson do his thing like the Vikings need to do to win.

No, you see, the diva Favre gets media attention when he wings it, so by God he will wing it. Double coverage? Triple coverage? Quadruple coverage? It doesn't matter.

The Vikings need a game -ontrol quarterback who will neither win nor lose games by himself. Anyone who says that is remotely Favre-like, get off your meth.

For the sake of my sanity, this will be my last point I make public. Favre is getting old. It was painfully obvious last year, and this year he'll be a year older. In the last five games of 2008, he lost to the Broncos, 49ers, Bills, and Seahawks.

To put it lightly, those defenses sucked.

Also addressing the age thing, he'll 40 this October, and he has become more and more injury prone. How many hits can his body take? Twice a year he'll face Aaron Kampman. Also add in the Steelers and Ravens defenses, and Mike Singletary's and Steve Spagnuolo's new "no mercy" mentalities.

Signing Favre was a bad, bad move by the Vikings. I'll be willing to bet he throws more interceptions than touchdowns this season. And to think, Minnesota payed $10-12 million.

I'm not even a fan, and it makes me sick.

Ian Snell: Welcome To The Land Of Opportuniy

Sam Woods — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:58:49 -0400

I watched a little bit of Ian Snell's debut as a Mariner last night and I have to say I'm impressed. He was a pulled after six and gave up two solo homers, which I will get to in a bit.

I like his stuff, its true strikeout material. His fastball is a straight and hittable, however he was locating it pretty well last night. That will be a key to his success, location and command of his heater.

His slider is nice sharp pitch that can be extremely effective when he is ahead. He seems to have scrapped his curve, as I know he had one when he was with the Pirates. His slider is an above average pitch.

When I was watching, I saw very few changeups. I checked out <A HREF="http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2009/8/2/973378/54-51-a-few-game-notes">Jeff's review</A> at Lookout Landing and I saw why. Apparently only 1 of his first 46 were changeups (I remembered a few more but whatever), but 23 of his last 48 were an offspeed pitch. Jeff thinks it was part of Rob Johnson's game plan, which if it was, kudos to Rob.

I saw the David Murphy home run and I can't say I was surprised. It was a 3-1 fastball thigh high and middle in. Batters, particularly lefties, love that pitch, and Murphy hammered it.

I didn't see the Michael Young homer but I could see it coming. I even told my brother that Young would homer later in the game (I won $5). In Young's first at bat, he saw a good 6 or 7 pitches on a strikeout. Of those pitches it was something like 4 fastballs, 2 sliders and a change.

One thing you don't want to do is show a good hitter like Young all your stuff in their first at bat. Now you have nothing to surprise him with later in the game. Snell learned that the hard way last night.

Ian Snell's stuff is so good there is no reason he shouldn't a legit No. 1 starter. Next year don't be surprised if Rick Adair resurrects Snell's curve. Orel Hershiser once said "If you can control and command 2 good pitches, you can compete. 3 pitches, you can win, 4 pitches you can dominate."

The other thing Snell needs to figure out is a way to get left handed hitters out. Whether it be by learning a new pitch or new game plan, it has to happen for him to have great success.

If Snell can learn a 4th pitch, preferably one that can get lefties out consistently, there is no reason why he can't become Felix Hernandez v2.0

Yes, I'm serious.

Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams: The Ultimate NFC West Division Preview

Sam Woods — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:04:20 -0400

Here is my take on each team in the NFC West coming into the 2009 season.

Arizona Cardinals

Short 2008 Recap

During the regular season, the Arizona Cardinals thrived on being in the NFC West. Against divisional opponents, the Cardinals were 6-0, but followed that up with a 3-7 mark against the rest of the league. Two of those wins were against Oakland and Kansas City, and the last was against Miami in Phoenix.

Come postseason time, however, the Cardinals put their losing history behind them, and won not one, not two, but three consecutive playoff games. Prior to last season, they had only won two playoff games as a franchise.

It was a magical run no doubt, but one that cannot be relied on as a preview to 2009, as the Cards fell to a superior Steelers team in the Super Bowl.

In the offseason, the Cards lost offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and Anquan Boldin has been frustrated due to contractual issues.

Offseason Acquisitions

CB Bryant McFadden, RB Jason Wright, S Keith Lewis, TE Anthony Becht, FB Dan Kreider

Offseason Losses

RB Edgerrin James, DE Antonio Smith, CB Roderick Hood, RB JJ Arrington, FB Terrelle Smith, CB Eric Green, LB Monty Beisel

2009 NFL Draft

In the draft, the Cardinals headlined with the picks of Chris "Beanie" Wells, Cody Brown and Rashad Johnson. Wells and Johnson will most likely make the most immediate impacts. Wells signed a five-year contract earlier this morning.

2009 Schedule:

Sun 9/13	San Francisco
Sun 9/20	at Jacksonville
Sun 9/27	Indianapolis
	bye
Sun 10/11	Houston
Sun 10/18	at Seattle
Sun 10/25	at NY Giants
Sun 11/1	Carolina
Sun 11/8	at Chicago
Sun 11/15	Seattle
Sun 11/22	at St. Louis
Sun 11/29	at Tennessee
Sun 12/6	Minnesota
Mon 12/14	at San Francisco
Sun 12/20	at Detroit
Sun 12/27	St. Louis
Sun 1/3	Green Bay

What we know

The Cardinals will pass the ball all over. They will prefer high scoring, up-tempo games. Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston will contribute to a significant portion of their scoring. The offensive line is suspect, and is saved only by Kurt Warner's intuition and quick release.

What we don't know

How much will Kurt Warner regress? The amount could very well be the difference between division title and missing the playoffs entirely.

Also, will we see the defense of last year's postseason or regular season?

2009 Outlook

Going into the season, most of the nation will expect the Cardinals to repeat as division champs. However, it will not be nearly as easy as it was in 2008.

The Seahawks and 49ers both have new looks, at the moment are healthy, and are looking for revenge for last year's losses. Also, the Cards schedule is a lot tougher than last year, and getting back to 9-7 may be a struggle, assuming they sweep the division again.

Warner is the key to repeating as division champions. If he regresses or goes down, he takes the offense (and already below average defense) with him.

To add to these issues, it's hard to pinpoint how much the loss of Todd Haley hurts the offense, as well as the giant target they now wear—the same one that ultimately took down the Seattle Seahawks last season after years of divisional dominance.

2009 Prediction: 8-8, 2nd NFC West

Seattle Seahawks

2008 Recap

Injuries—that's all I've got to say. Pretty much every starter at some point was out because of injuries, or was played while hurt.

That being said, it's not like the 'Hawks were robbed of a Super Bowl entry, or even a divisional crown. All year long, they were pretty bad. On defense, they finished close to last in every major category, and the offense wasn't much better.

All in all, it was an awful year for the Seahawks and Seahawk fans.

Offseason Acquisitions

DE/DT Cory Redding, WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, DT Colin Cole, CB Ken Lucas, FB Dustin Kirtman, FB Owen Schmitt, FB Justin Griffith, TE John Owens

Offseason Losses

OLB Julian Peterson, WR Bobby Engram, FB Leonard Weaver, DT Rocky Bernard, G Floyd Womack, RB Maurice Morris, DT Howard Green, QB Charlie Frye, WR Koren Robinson

2009 NFL Draft

Seattle selected Aaron Curry fourth overall, traded their second round pick for Denver's 2010 natural first rounder, traded up to get Max Unger, and again traded up to net Deon Butler in the 3rd round. Curry is currently unsigned.

2009 Schedule:

Sun, 9/13	St. Louis
Sun, 9/20	at San Francisco
Sun, 9/27	Chicago
Sun, 10/4	at Indianapolis
Sun, 10/11	Jacksonville
Sun, 10/18	Arizona
	bye
Sun, 11/1	at Dallas
Sun, 11/8	Detroit
Sun, 11/15	at Arizona
Sun, 11/22	at Minnesota
Sun, 11/29	at St. Louis
Sun, 12/6	San Francisco
Sun, 1213	at Houston
Sun, 12/20	Tampa Bay
Sun, 12/27	at Green Bay
Sun, 1/3	Tennessee

What we know

The 'Hawks were better than their 4-12 mark last year. Seattle will run the ball more, and should run for greater effectiveness as well. Their linebacking corps is arguably the best in the NFL. Their defense will improve with time.

What we don't know

Pretty much everything else. Will Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones, and everyone on defense come back from their injuries? How will the offensive line be affected by the change in schemes? The Seahawks have questions everywhere, from how Jim Mora and Greg Knapp will change the offense to who will be the starting kicker.

2009 Outlook

As stated before, Seattle will have a tough time going 4-12 again, as they are extremely talented across the board. If the injury bug doesn't bite like it did last year, you have to put these guys in serious contention for the divisional crown.

One guy to watch is Colin Cole, as he is the one who will make this defense go. His massive size will attract double teams and free up the linebackers and defensive end Patrick Kerney to make big plays. Also, Brandon Mebane is also set for a breakout year at DT.

Much like Arizona with Kurt Warner, Matt Hasselbeck is the key. If he is not fully healthy, all bets are off. He needs to win games in the end instead of throwing decisive picks.

There are a lot of questions that need answers, but it's looking like it will come down to the Cardinals and Seahawks. Mark October 18 and November 15 on your calendars.

2009 Prediction: 9-7, 1st NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

2008 Recap

The 49ers went into the 2008 season desperately looking to regain the identity of their winning teams of the 1980s and 1990s. It didn't look like they would find it after coming off a 5-11 season and starting JT O'Sullivan under center.

As forecasted, in their first seven games, the Niners were 2-5 and Nolan was fired. O'Sullivan floundered in Mike Martz's complex system, turning over the ball 22 times in half a season.

Enter Mike Singletary.

After a 34-13 embarrassment at the hands of the already-weakened Seahawks, Singletary's squad found a sense of direction. Driven by their new head coach, the Niners had a 5-3 record in the second half. If it weren't for Martz's ineptness, they would have upset Arizona and Miami, and likely taken the division.

After the season, Singletary was promoted to head coach, removing his interim tag. In 2008 with Singletary, the 49ers may have rediscovered the long-lost concept of winning.

Offseason Acquisitions

DE Demetric Evans, T Marvel Smith, FB Moran Norris, WR Brandon Jones, DE/OLB Marques Harris, CB Dre Bly, QB Damon Huard

Offseason Losses

WR Bryant Johnson, TE Billy Bejima, NT Ronald Fields, OT Damone Duckett, CB Donald Strickland, DE Tully Banta-Cain, QB JT O'Sullivan, S Keith Lewis, TE Sean Ryan, FB David Kirtman, CB Walt Harris (under team control, torn ACL, out for season)

2009 NFL Draft

When Michael Crabtree fell into the Niners' laps at pick 10, they quickly snatched him up. However, right now he is unsigned, likely holding out for a lucrative contract. In the fifth round, they made an interesting selection in QB Nate Davis. With his learning disability, it'll be interesting to watch how he develops. He may be their QB of the future.

2009 Schedule:

Sun 9/13	at Arizona
Sun 9/20	Seattle
Sun 9/27	at Minnesota
Sun 10/4	St. Louis
Sun 10/11	Atlanta
	bye
Sun 10/25	at Houston
Sun 11/1	at Indianapolis
Sun 11/8	Tennessee
Thu 11/12	Chicago
Sun 11/22	at Green Bay
Sun 11/29	Jacksonville
Sun 12/6	at Seattle
Mon 12/14	Arizona
Sun 12/20	at Philadelphia
Sun 12/27	Detroit
Sun 1/3	at St. Louis

What we know

Singletary is the real deal. This team will play old school, smashmouth football. On offense, they will run the ball down opponents' throats, and on defense they are dedicated to stopping the run. The team will play with more of a sense of urgency than in years past. Like the Seahawks and '08 Cardinals, the 49ers will surprise some teams.

What we don't know

Will Alex Smith, the former No. 1 pick, beat out Shaun Hill for the starting QB job? Can Frank Gore stay healthy? How can they defend the pass with what seems like no depth at corner and little talent rushing the passer?

2009 Outlook

I love what Singletary is doing the Bay Area, and the 49ers will be prolific winners before the Raiders, that's for sure. I just don't see it happening quite yet.

Shaun Hill can manage a game well enough for the Niners to stick to the winning plan, but Michael Crabtree probably won't help much this year, as receivers tend to take two or three years to make big impacts. Frank Gore must stay healthy, as he is the cornerstone of the offense.

On defense, I know they can stop the run, I'm just not sold on the pass attack yet. Switching to the 3-4 will help the pass rush, but I still see this team as below average against the pass, making them easy pickings for Kurt Warner and Matt Hasselbeck if he remains healthy.

2009 will be the bridge to healthy year after year contention in 2010. In the meantime, the Niners will pull their share of upsets, as this will be one of the most exciting teams to come out of the Bay Area since the Raiders of 5 or 6 years ago.

2009 Prediction: 6-10, 3rd NFC West

St. Louis Rams

2008 Recap

You know how the Seahawks were a disappointment last year? Well, the Rams might have expected to lose, but not in this manner.

After holding out for a new contract, Steven Jackson promptly went down with the rest of the offense. It's hard to score when Marc Bulger, Orlando Pace, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt are all out or playing injured.

The Rams proved that with an abysmal 14.5 PPG, only besting the 0-16 Lions.

Head coach Scott Linehan was fired after starting 0-4. Jim Haslett injected a little hope by upsetting Washington and Dallas his first 2 games. He then went on to lose the last ten.

On the bright side, WR Donnie Avery grabbed 53 receptions for 674 yards with 3 TDs as a rookie. Rookie DE Chris Long didn't finish well, but did have an impressive four sacks in his first seven games. Oshiomugho Atogwe also had a nice year, forcing 11 turnovers (5 INT, 6 fumbles).

Offseason Acquisitions

QB Kyle Boller, FB Mike Karney, TE Billy Bejima, C James Brown, S James Butler, DT Orien Harris, WR Laurent Robinson

Offseason Losses

WR Tory Holt, OT Orlando Pace, FB Dan Kreider, LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, TE Anthony Becht, C Nick Leckey, C Brett Romberg, OT Brandon Groin, QB Trent Green, WR Drew Bennett, S Corey Chavous

2009 NFL Draft

With the second overall pick, the Rams took their LT of the future, Jason Smith, although he'll start at RT this year. In the second round, they took potential playmaker James Laurinitis over Rey Maualuga, a head scratcher to some.

2009 Schedule:

Sun 9/13	at Seattle
Sun 9/20	at Washington
Sun 9/27	Green Bay
Sun 10/4	at San Francisco
Sun 10/11	Minnesota
Sun 10/18	at Jacksonville
Sun 10/25	Indianapolis
Sun 11/1	at Detroit
bye
Sun 11/15	New Orleans
Sun 11/22	Arizona
Sun 11/29	Seattle
Sun 12/6	at Chicago
Sun 12/13	at Tennessee
Sun 12/20	Houston
Sun 12/27	at Arizona
Sun 1/3	San Francisco

What we know

The Rams don't seem to be a threat, although neither did the Dolphins last year. The Rams defense will be better and will bring a multitude of blitzes, as Spagnuolo will call the plays on defense. The Rams play in a weak division, so a complete turnaround is not impossible.

What we don't know

As far as I can see, there aren't many questions with this team—only holes.

2009 Prediction

Steve Spagnuolo, like Mike Singletary, is the real deal. However, unlike Singletary, Spags will have a hard time winning the division in 2009, or 2010 for that matter.

That being said, Steven Jackson will be underrated by some defenses, who forget he can still take over a game. Donnie Avery looks to add to his first year success, as does Chris Long.

With Long, Witherspoon, Atogwe, and Spagnuolo, defense will likely be the name of the game for years to come. This year I don't see a magnificent turnaround by this squad, but they won't be the eyesore they were last year.

That duty shifts to the likes of the Chiefs, Broncos, Browns and Buccaneers.

2009 Prediction: 4-12, 4th NFC West

I look forward to an exciting year in this division. Feel free to comment on what you think the division will look like this year or to chime in with any angles I might have missed.

Jarrod Washburn Traded to Detroit in Three-Player Deal

Sam Woods — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:37:16 -0400

Detroit gets: Jarrod Washburn

Seattle gets: Luke French, Mauricio Robles

Luke French is a 23-year-old version of Jarrod Washburn—an extreme flyball pitcher with a below average fastball and slider, a serviceable change, and a slow, sweeping curve.

He goes right after hitters, and could be the No. 3 starter, although he profiles as a No. 4 or 5.

Mauricio Robles is a short, 20-year-old who's still figuring things out. He sports a low 90s fastball that can get up to 95-96 a few times a game. His curve has a sharp break that could be a legit plus pitch sometime in the future. His change is bad, but improving.

Due to his size and delivery, he may end up in the bullpen. At 20, however, he will get his chance to start.

As is, I give this trade a B-/C+ for Seattle, who added another arm of Washburn's caliber to the 2010 rotation.

With this trade—and the Jack Wilson one—Jack is clearly trying to win next year, but without sacrificing much of the future. It's a beautiful thing to watch.

Thoughts on Jack Wilson Trade

Sam Woods — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:46:40 -0400

Mariners Get: SS Jack Wilson, RHSP Ian Snell

Jack Wilson is a defensive minded shortstop that can a little. His bat is not an offensive force by any means and this is not the big bat so many think we need.

Wilson's glove however is loud. He will jump, dive and may be willing to swim for a baseball. I don't know if you were watching last night's game, but if you saw a couple a single's up the middle that Ronny Cedeno couldn't get to. Jack Wilson gets to those.

Once Adrain Beltre comes back, the left side of the infield will be a wall. Almost nothing will get through these guys.

Wilson has an option for 2010, but its an expensive one, especially for a 32 year old. One thing to watch is where Freddy Sanchez might go if his option is not exercised this winter. Sanchez and Wilson are good friends so its definitely possible that the two are in Seattle at the start of next season.

Ian Snell is a 27 year old pitcher with promise, but has yet to put it altogether, outside of one season.

When Rob Johnson was asked about Snell, he said he had "Felix Hernandez stuff". Wow. I'm not sure how true that is, but he does have a very similar repertoire to Hernandez.

Maybe with the help of Johnson, Wakamatsu and Rick Adair, Ian Snell will realize his potential and be a pitching version of Russell Branyan.

Pirates Get: SS Ronny Cedeno, 1B Jeff Clement, RHSP Nathan Adcock, RHP Brett Lorin, RHP Aaron Pribnac

Cedeno: Light hitting defensive minded shortstop. Clement: Extreme pull hitter. Drafted 3rd overall in 2005 out of USC, and has not come close to really panning out. Clement needed to get out of Seattle to have any kind success. The only problem for him is that the Pirates are a Bavasi-like organization, the type that might have ruined his career. Sorry Jeff.

Nathan Adcock has been know for his curveball. With its sharp bite, its definitely a plus out pitch. His fastball and change are both average. Adcock is future 4-5 starter talent.

Brett Lorin stands at 6'7" and is an intimidating force on the mound. His fastball usually is in the low 90's, but can touch 95. Some see him as a future starter, However I see him as a reliever, due to his below average curve and no third pitch.

Aaron Pribnac's fastball can get up into the low 90's. His splitter is a useful pitch, especially in relief situations, which is where he profiles to end up.

I absolutely love this trade for the Mariners. They upgrade at shortstop for now and the near future, and add a pitcher who I believe will flourish here with the friendly clubhouse, great defense and of course they have Rick Adair.

Its not like they gave up the farm to get them either. They traded away a two spare parts, future 4-5 starter, and two future setup/middle relief arms.

Another excellent trade for Jack Z.

Also, Wladimier Balentien has been traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Robert Manuel.

Manuel is a decent relief pitcher who may be part of the 2010 bullpen or late 2009 'pen. He will start in AAA Tacoma.

How Much Is Too Much: Putting Stock In Defensive Value

Sam Woods — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:11:58 -0400

Jarrod Washburn is a prime example of how much team defense can help a pitcher. Washburn is a flyball pitcher who strikes out very few hitters and needs defense, particularly in the outfield.

In 2008, the only competent defensive outfielder for the Mariners was Ichiro. Raul Ibanez and whoever happened to be play center field that day had very poor range collectively. Washburn's ERA/WHIP: 4.69/1.46

Now this year, he has Ichiro in right, the best defensive CF in the majors in Gutierrez, and Langerhans/Chavez in left, both arguably the best defenders in Safeco's massive left field.

This year he has three centerfielders. Washburn's ERA/WHIP: 2.87/1.09 (as of July 22nd).

This article is by no means a knock defensive value. I myself love it. I love watching our outfield do work everyday, and I love to see our front office finally entering the 21st century.

But the bottom line is, no matter how much you stop the other team from scoring, you have to put something up on the scoreboard yourself if you plan on winning.

Way too many Mariners fans think Ryan Langerhans is worth more than a Carlos Lee, just because Lee is a pretty bad defender, which he is.

Way too many Mariners fans, especially on B/R, think management want to put the best defenders out on the field, however light hitting they may be.

I think management wants to win every year that they can. They wanted to turn this thing around in one year and the quickest and cheapest way to do that was through defense.

They realized that our starting staff, outside of Silva. wasn’t as bad as their standard stats would show, and that the defense let them down. They realized that our pitching, with a great defense, was enough to carry us to over .500.

As long as we have Zduriencik in charge of operations, power will be increasingly the name of the game. Look at his top positional draft picks in Milwaukee.

2001: JJ Hardy, well rounded SS defensive minded but could handle the stick; Brad Nelson was the same but more bat less glove, still pretty well rounded.

2002: Prince Fielder...he got some pop.

2003: Rickie Weeks, well rounded second baseman

2005: Ryan Braun and Matt Gamel are both big hitters who are average-to-below average defenders.

2007: Matt LaPorta is a second Ryan Braun.

What we see here is that at premium positions (C, SS, 2B, CF) he values defense (although Weeks is below average) and he reinforced that with the acquisition of Gutierrez and the dumping of Betancourt.

However in positions like 1B, 3B, LF, and RF he wants hitters. If he can get some defensive value out of them, then so be it.

Once again, the quick fix for this year was to put a heavy emphasis on defense. I can almost guarantee you we will start to see more of an emphasis on sheer power players like Russell Branyan.

So, next time you rule out a move to acquire a hitter because he doesn't fit "Z's defensive ways," think again. In years to come the hometown nine will see defensive minded table setters up the middle, with big boppers at secondary positions.

Defense AND offense win championships, not one or the other.

Dustin Ackley May End Up At Second Base After All

Sam Woods — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:21:02 -0400

The only thing that could potentially keep the Seattle Mariners from drafting Dustin Ackley pre-draft was ability/inability to play center field. Most thought his second position would be second base if for whatever reason he couldn't play the outfield.

Now it's looking like his arm is healthy enough to get him a starting gig in center. However the more and more I think about it, now that he's with the Mariners, should he?

Currently manning the position is Death to Flying Things himself. Franklin Gutierrez is 26-years-old and on the verge of becoming a perennial five-tool player at the premium position of center field.

His bat is coming around as of late and he really should be stealing more bases than he is. His glove is, of course, incredible.

It would be absolutely foolish to move him to right or left. While his bat is good, it will most likely be sub-par at the corner outfield positions, not to mention his range can't be on display as much.

Ackley is blocked in left by Michael Saunders. Saunders is currently in AAA with a line of .312/.381/.541 (average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage). More importantly, there are multiple reports of the ball "jumping off his bat" and him making really solid contact almost every time. That kind of thing translates well to big league success.

Ackley probably can't play right because he really doesn't have the arm. Even before surgery he didn't have a great arm. His projected power numbers also are below average for right field.

This is why I think Ackley is destined for second. I have no idea what his defense is at the position, but it can't be much worse than Jose Lopez, who isn't terrible. Ackley will be hitting .330 with 15-20 home runs in a couple years or less, which is all-star caliber numbers for a second baseman.

By the time Lopez's contract is up (2011, 2012 if the M's pick up the option) Ackley should be in the bags. If he's early, Lopez can be traded for a need. If Ackley is a little behind schedule, then Lopez can re-sign or Zduriencik can return to the caves of his home in Pittsburgh and transform a league average player into a superstar.

Ackley can bat in the two-hole until Ichiro retires. When that happens, Ackley will move to leadoff.

I don't have much more to say so I'll say this.

With this farm system fielding a plethora of quality outfielders, and Ackley blocked in center, why not move him to the middle infield where it doesn't appear we'll have much talent in the future?

It's a move that makes sense to me, but let me know what you think.

Seattle Mariners Fans, It's Time to Take a Breath and Think

Sam Woods — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:58:39 -0400

Kind of like this couple.

Remember at the beginning of the season, when all of us were ready to suffer through another bad season so that we could contend in 2010 and beyond? It was a time when we were just happy to see a sense of direction and moves that made sense from the front office.

My question is, where has that gone?

Do you not realize that Captain Jack Zduriencik, Sergeant Don Wakamatsu, and Company are the real deal...in a few years.

Come 2011 and 2012, this roster will be full of Russell Branyan's, Franklin Gutierrez's, and David Aardsma's. If you think Wakamatsu has done well now, just wait until this team is teeming with talent.

We are on track to become a west coast version of the Boston Red Sox, an organization that gets it. They are an organization that has both a major league product to be proud of and minor league system to look forward to.

We have the stuff to become an organization that uses logic, statistics, and on-the-field observance to determine talent.

We can become an organization that can grow its own talent, but also have the money to retain top players and bring in top players in free agency.

It is the team a city is proud to root for.

The envy of the league.

A continuous winner.

Yet a majority of fans want to blow it all up in hopes of winning now now NOW!!!

The playoff drought in the Pacific Northwest has drawn on long enough that we aren't sure what to do when we have a good team.

Bad team after disappointing team after truly awful team has us thinking that a 46-42 club with little offense is unstoppable.

Suddenly, instead of trading the likes of Washburn, Bedard, and others, we think they're vital cogs in our ability to win now and in the future.

The reality? One is a 3-4 starter with jack of all trades stuff that lives off the fly ball. The other is a strikeout machine and good pitcher when healthy, but can never be counted on because of frequent injuries.

Both pitchers will leave after this year through free agency. How do I know?

Bedard will because he hates it here and wants to flee to the East Coast. Don't even bring up that bullsh*t report about how he likes the city of Seattle. In the words of USS Mariner, "That's nice, but there's still a 0.01% chance he stays here."

Washburn will leave because the Mariners should not, and will not, pay him what he wants or will receive on the open market. Simple as that.

Some desperate team will look at his, I admit, impressive (yet fluky) ERA and throw outrageous dollars his way. Think Carlos Silva, only more money because Washburn has a much better ERA than Silva did.

While these guys do have some value now, they have little-to-no value in the future.

In my mind, to maximize value for these two, trade Washburn for a legit bat that can hit behind Branyan in the order.

The reason for trading Washburn and not Bedard is due to free agency compensation. Both will likely be Type B, but only Erik Bedard will turn down arbitration. Washburn would absolutely go crazy accepting it and clean house with his misleading ERA. This would leave us with a crazily overpaid mid-rotation pitcher on our hands.

Now back to the plan: There are three main matches for Washburn—the Yankees, Twins, and Dodgers.

The Twins have always had a crush on Washburn, and Z could net a Jason Kubel.

The Yankees, once again, need pitching. They also have a logjam in the outfield, possibly sending a Hideki Matsui or Nick Swisher back. I would prefer Swisher, as he is younger and could help us in the future.

The Dodgers also are stuffed with outfielders. They are looking for a No. 5 starter "along the lines of Randy Wolf," according to MLB.com. Andre Ethier is probably the best bet to be on a plane to Seattle.

If Washburn goes to the Yankees or Dodgers, we have now added a bat to the 2009 lineup, as well as one for future Mariner teams.

Where's our friend Washburn? Off posting a 4.67 ERA while making $13 million a year.

The compensation we got from Bedard turns into a serviceable second basemen and spends 11 years with the club before retiring and becoming active in charity work in the Tri Cities (no, I am not from the tri cities).

As for the Mariners, they miss the division title by 3.5 games. Texas dropped out and the Angels caught fire in September to keep the M's at bay before losing in the first round of the playoffs...again.

In 2010, Swisher finds himself again and Michael Saunders has an impressive rookie campaign. The Mariners win the division and lose in the first round in five games.

In 2011, the Mariners reach the World Series but fall short to the Florida Marlins in 6 games.

In 2012, the Mariners falter a little bit and are out in the ALDS.

In 2013, the Mariners win the World Series.

So I may be a little off, but you get the point. The Mariners are not an elite team yet. Yes, they have a chance of winning the West, but it is a small chance. It is not the kind of chance you sell the farm for or hold on to deteriorating veterans for.

I know I'm a little all over the place in this article as I am not a writer and have no plans to become a scribe or journalist. But hear me out—this is only the beginning.

Zduriencik has a long history of drafting well and building teams. There is no reason with the cash he has here that he can't build a year in-year out contender.

This is only the beginning of what this franchise can do. Buy into that, and your reward will be, at long last, a World Series victory in Seattle.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Yuni Is Gone

Sam Woods — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:59:36 -0400

As you have probably heard by now, the Mariners traded Yuniesky Betancourt to the Kansas City Royals for minor league pitchers Derrick Saito and Daniel Cortes.

As you probably have figured, I love this trade. The fact we dumped Yuni, who brings absolutely nothing to the table, AND got something back, is just huge in my book.

Daniel Cortes definitely would have a place in the organization. He throws hard (low to mid 90's) but rarely knows where it’s going. I'd say there's a good bet he ends up in one of Zduriencik's future bullpens.

He's having a down year this year, but he's only 22 and has time to fix some command issues. Some say he's a back of the end starter, but I seem him more as a middle reliever due to his control and command issues.

Don't let his size (5'9") fool you, Derrick Saito can gun it. In college he could get his fastball up into the 95-98 range as a reliever. His curveball was supposedly one of the best in the conference, with a sharp late break. Can he start?

I'd say he has a shot, but like Cortes, he needs to iron some things out. However being lefty and throwing 97-98 and coupling that with a sharp breaking ball, he's late game death to lefties. From what I know, he sounds like a smaller, harder throwing George Sherrill.

One thing I've always wanted to know. KC fans, why is your organization so attached to Yuni? I could understand when he was a good fielder with a promising bat, but now he's a deteriorating lazy punk. I don't get it.

Another thing for Mariners fans, these aren't very likely to turn into the Bavasi accusations of Travis Chick and Jesse Foppert. These pitchers can actually throw the ball over 88 and aren't coming off Tommy John Surgery.

Just another move that makes me sit back a say "Yep, our GM is awesome."

One last thing, Franklin Gutierrez, you are now officially my idol. I hope you get what you deserve next year and get voted into an All-Star Game. You deserve it man.

Attention Teams in Need of Starting Pitching

Sam Woods — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:50:15 -0400

Meet Jorge de la Rosa.

Jorge is a left handed starting pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. His fastball resides typically in the low 90's. His off-speed offerings include a plus change and slider. His curveball has potential if he can fix its release point. He strikes out over a batter per inning and costs only ("only" used loosely) $2 million.

Why is de la Rosa so available? Well he is 5-7 with a 5.14 ERA and the Rockies fifth starter.

He's Coors Field's latest victim. At home he sports an ERA of 6.49, while maintaining a solid 3.89 on the road at parks that are less evil to pitchers.

This is also in line with his 2009 FIP. FIP is kind of like a "true" ERA which only measures walks, strikeouts, home runs allowed, things that the pitcher has control over. His FIP, even at Coors, is 3.81

Put him in a pitchers park like Milwaukee's Miller Park, Seattle's Safeco Field, Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium, or New York's Citi Field, and you have a mighty fine lefty pitcher.

Teams like the Brewers, Dodgers, Mariners, Mets, Braves, and Cardinals, who all have legitimate pitcher's parks (and are contenders) should seriously push for de la Rosa.

The Rockies are in it, but not because of their bullpen. They're rumored to want a power arm and de la Rosa might be the piece that gets them it. They know he is a good pitcher, just not at their home park and unfortunately for them, his 5.14 ERA isn't going to fetch much for the Rockies.

I'd say a groundball throwing power pitcher and maybe a B prospect could get you de la Rosa.

So buyers, buy smart. Look beyond the surface numbers before you destroy your future.

Seattle Mariners Are One Player Away From A Playoff Berth

Sam Woods — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:42:00 -0400

The player the Mariners need is SS Jack Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What? Is that not the overpriced shortstop the Pirates are trying to move?

Yep. I'm talking about that Jack Wilson. Let's break down the numbers between him and Yuni Betancourt.

Wilson has a line of .287/316/421 with a wOBA of .319. ZiPS projects him to regress a little to 280/317/400 and a wOBA of .315.

Betancourt's line is 250/278/330 and a wOBA of 270. ZiPS's end-of-the year prediction for Betancourt is 263/288/352 with a wOBA of 282. Only ZiPS doesn't know that he has the work ethic of a sloth.

Both players draw a walk in 4.3 percent of their at bats, although Wilson strikes out a little bit more.

So, at the plate, Wilson has a slight edge over Betancourt. Wilson could also improve or regress due to a change in scenery; that's a small X-factor.

It's a very small factor, in fact, because when you add defense to the equation-which shouldn't change much at all due to a change in scenery—it's safe to say that Wilson kicks Betancourt's ass.

Wilson's UZR is 8.9 while Betancourt's is -8.5. UZR is the fielder's ultimate zone rating—the number represents how many runs above or below an average fielder is "in both range runs, outfield arm runs, double play runs, and error runs combined (courtesy of FanGraphs Baseball)."

While Betancourt is a terrible fielder, Wilson is extremely good. The added defense not only makes up for Beltre's absence, but it makes the likes of Washburn, Vargas, and Morrow go from serviceable to good and turns Felix and Bedard from good to untouchable.

All of those little dribblers thare are currently going up the middle for hits are now outs. Finally, we'll see defense in the hole. Maybe Jose Lopez will feel guilty and improve a little as well.

Moreover, a trade for Wilson will not cost the Mariners much. The Pirates are looking to dump his contract somewhere and probably expect little in return, as he is having somewhat of a down year.

It's like what we were trying to do with Jarrod Washburn last year. Therefore, an offer like Bryan LaHair and Oswaldo Navarro for Wilson and his contract would most likely work. It might have to be Mike Carp for Wilson, but still, it needs to happen.

We could shuffle our roster and add a big bat like Nick Swisher for Washburn, and then scramble for another starter.

Or we could just take care of problem, keep our golden pitching in tact, and watch Russell Branyan do his thing.

ZiPS predicts an improvement for Ken Griffey Jr., and Franklin Gutierrez will start hitting more and more. He'll be an All-Star next year.

PECOTA has us at a 18.89 percent chance to be in the playoffs, let's quickly make that a good 25 percent.

The Fate Of The Seattle Mariners ; Upcoming Road Trip

Sam Woods — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:02:13 -0400

As of right now, the Seattle Mariners are a game over .500, 2.5 games behind Texas and LA/Anaheim. They are set to play the Padres and gain more ground.

However, the direction of present and future Mariners lies in what happens the next 10 days.

That's right, the road trip from hell.

After the team's series with the Padres, Seattle will go down to LA for a three—game series with the best team in baseball. After a travel day on Monday, the Mariners head to the Bronx for a shindig with Yankees at their place.

They close it out with a meeting with the Sox at Fenway.

The Dodgers boast a home record of 25-10. Seattle will try to overcome that record while facing Clayton Kershaw, Eric Milton, and Hiroki Kuroda. All three pitchers are beatable, but the Ms must be patient and take pitches to beat them, especially Kershaw.

Seattle then heads to the New Yankee Stadium, an extremely offensive park, with an anemic offense. While the Yankees haven't been playing their best ball lately, the Mariners' offense has not been spectacular itself. The pitching will have to remain stellar and the offense will need to take pitches and get to the bullpen.

The Red Sox have been throwing up crooked numbers lately, thus winning by large margins. Seattle will M's have to keep the ball down and get to the bullpen early.

It's as simple as this. If the team can come out of the road trip with at least six wins, the future looks bright. If we lay an egg, management should think of our future and build for next year.

With a four-game series at home against the Rangers after trip, the future of the Mariners should be set by the All-Star break.

The Future Washington Nationals All-Century Battery

Sam Woods — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:07:19 -0400

Who'll be the biggest star in Washington not named Barack Obama for the next eight years?

Of course Stephen Strasburg right? Not so fast, Nats fans. Remember the name Bryce Harper, for he and Strasburg are your only hopes in turning this thing around.

Bryce Harper is a 16 year old catcher out of Las Vegas high school. That's right, he's 16, and he very well would have gone ahead of Strasburg in this year's draft if he was eligible. Search his name on Google for highlight reels.

He bats left and plays catcher or third base. He also pitches a little bit.

He's launched homers as far as 570 ft. when he was 15, and, in a tournament that was meant for players much older than him, he went 12-12—with 11 home runs.

He takes batting practice with beans. The little red beans you see in soup.

His bat speed is faster than the likes of Barry Bonds, and he has a cannon behind the plate.

If that weren't enough, he throws up to 96 mph, and scores from second on a wild pitch.

Once again, he is 16.

He is easily baseball's version of LeBron James—a freakishly talented prodigy of the game. And, he could be available in 2010.

Apparently, according to SI, his parents are considering letting him earn a GED credential this summer and enroll him in a junior college next year. He'll be exposed to better baseball while also earning the credentials to be eligible for the 2010 draft—the draft which the Nats are on a fast track to secure the No. 1 pick in.

The money the Nationals will invest in Strasburg and Harper could easily top $100 million, with Scott Boras representing both.

Read this article for more information on Harper: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156215/1/index.htm

Just imagine the tag team of Harper and Strasburg.

No runners would be able to steal. No one. Ever.

It's the dominance of a Tom Brady and Randy Moss—Adrian Peterson or the Steelers D. LeBron James or Dwight Howard. Or, five Tiger Woods' against the field. Yeah, he's that good.

I don't even know how to describe the amount of greatness we will see at Nationals Park.

Maybe the two will just take over and name it Harpsburg Stadium, or something like that.

All this being said, I doubt it brings them a championship. The Nationals brass is too inept to make good decisions.

That being said, add a GM like Epstein, Friedman, Zduriencik, Stoneman, Jocketty, Beane etc. that have a proven track record of smart decisions and signing low risk/high reward players (ahem, Russell Branyan) and developing talent to surround Harper and Strasburg, this is a dominant team.

Dominant like the early millennium Patriots and Lakers, dominant like the '50s Yankees and the Big Red Machine, dominant like early Celtics and Packers, dominant like Nicklaus.

Nationals fans, your future may be looking up.

Sound Off For Mariners' Day One

Sam Woods — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:02:50 -0400

On day one of the draft, Seattle picked up 4 positional players. That's right, no pitchers. While many are frustrated that the M's passed on the likes of Tanner Sheppers, James Paxton, and Rex Brothers twice, I am kind of at a moot point. It's no secret that Z loves positional players. All of his marquee draftees in Milwaukee were position players. But here's my thing, why did we have to significantly overdraft on the likes of Nick Franklin and Steven Baron? Both of which could be had at 51 and 82. I can only think of 2 real reasons. 1) We want to save money in this particularly shallow draft, in order to draft higher end players next year and be able to sign them. 2) They are worried about injuries to Sheppers, as well as feel Paxton's long term role will be in the pen (not much as far as secondary options) and the fact that Brothers is nothing too special. Whatever the reasons, here are the 4 day one draftees of the Seattle Mariners.

Begin Slideshow

Ichiro: Why a Trade Makes No Sense

Sam Woods — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:51:36 -0400

I'm going to cut right to the chase, no introductions.

He will go to the Hall of Fame as a Seattle Mariner

The M's might have blown their chances to make Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson go in as M's, and definitely have thrown Alex's away (which to be fair, he helped that along too).

The point is he's very likely to go to the Hall, and if he's not with any other team, he has to go in as a Mariner.

It's kinda sad that we finally will have one a good 35-40 years after our franchise started, but that's where we are. Just leave it at that.

He had trade value a couple years ago, not this year

Three years ago, I was half-favoring a trade. Bottom line is he's a singles hitter. He still is worth way more in value than the likes of most of our current team, but he's a singles hitter, and would be worth more when he was paid $11 million instead of $18, and of course, younger.

Trading him now would be stupid. Teams looking for an aging (although Ichiro will likely go longer than most in this league) leadoff hitter to pay $18 million to for a couple of years will be few at best.

Those willing to take him will only offer No. 2 or 3 prospect, No. 5, and No. 7-9 or an MLBer and No. 3 and No. 6 or 7 prospect.

Hardly anything compared to what he's worth to the city of Seattle.

He pays off his contract and then some

When our team sucked last year (and when they will when we sell off our core for a future core), the fans didn't come to bet on how much we'd lose by, or how many errors the Lopez/Betancourt duo would make, or how many strikeouts the likes of Sexson, Vidro and Wilkerson could drum up, or even to see how many fly outs dropped in for hits; they came to see Ichiro.

As mentioned before, he's an icon. He represents not only the Mariners, but the city of Seattle.

Half our nightly attendance is there to see Ichiro and Griffey. Those two are the reason we don't go Florida Marlins, with nobody in the seats.

He really isn't starting crap in the dugout

That last year, was class-A bullsh*t. It made me laugh.

Sure, Ichiro is a lone wolf. But what you had last year was a bunch of lazy, underachieving millionaires just looking to cash a paycheck. They obviously weren't interested much in winning, or are too stupid to realize Ichiro is the reason you won at least once a week.

Nobody stood up and actually became the leader they wanted Ichiro to be. So what if he's not a vocal leader? He leads by example. He does his job and he does it well. He's the best leadoff hitter in the business.

This year we have some vocal leaders, and while we still have Silva, we're doing okay.

A trade isn't worth the headache

Basically, what I'm trying to say is if you traded Ichiro during pretty much anytime during his tenure, you'd have some pissed off Seattleites.

Casual baseball fans wouldn't listen to your reasoning (and if you didn't net some highly touted young MLBers or prospects, I wouldn't either) and would call for your head.

You wouldn't be able to leave your home without fear of being picked off by a hired assassin.

Z, just don't do it. For your life, don't do it.

He's still got it

He's a leadoff hitter that plays right field, a power position. But he's the best leadoff, period, and the best defender in RF as well. He's still a good plus-five to seven win player I think (that's five to seven wins over replacement level).

Yes, he's 35, but check out the numbers: .356 BA/.393 OBP/.481 SLG. What this tells you is he gets on base A LOT, which is his job, and not so surprisingly, has a higher slugging percentage than a lot of Mariners.

He also just came off a 27-game hit streak.

I seem to be drawing blanks of specific reasons right now.

But really, he's a damn good ballplayer, but wouldn't strike gold on this trade market. Soooooo what's the point?

I heart the post-Bavasi era, especially with the draft tomorrow. And the hope of near future trades is where we are the rip offers.

Possible Deals for Top Seattle Mariners

Sam Woods — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:55:00 -0400

No matter what happens this year, the Mariners are building and playing for 2010 and beyond. While the roster isn't particularly loaded with top tier talent, Captain Jack and Co. can rebuild this roster pretty quickly by letting go a couple of these guys. Its a Billy Beane move, throw away your season that’s going nowhere anyway in order to compete in the future. I think Z would be wise to take said road. With these trades and the talent coming to us in the draft, the barren wasteland of a farm system we have now can become rich a plentiful with budding stars. In the draft we get Dustin Ackley, Tanner Sheppers and Steven Baron with our top 3 picks. Add these trades in and it would equal one of best June/July's Seattle Mariners history.

Begin Slideshow

Seattle Mariners' 2009 Draft Takes Another Turn

Sam Woods — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:25:44 -0400

I just got the chance to check up on USS Mariner and they brought this proposition up. They report that they have agreed and/or talking to HS catcher Steven Baron at the No. 33 pick (More on him later).

The deal is said to be under the recommendation for a No. 33 pick, which gives the M's more money to spend on their No. 27 selection.

No. 27 is the perfect spot to grab a top pitching prospect who wants more money than he really should ask for. Now that he has the extra cash, Captain Jack can select someone along the lines of Tanner Sheppers or Matt Purke. Read about it here.

So here's another version of a possible draft by Seattle. The last one was based on my own opinions, while this one is based on what Dave at USSM is reporting.

No. 2-Dustin Ackley CF

No change here. Great hitter, reliable defense, safest pick in the draft. He should and probably will be our first selection.

No. 27-James Paxton LHP, Matt Purke LHP, Tanner Sheppers RHP, Kyle Gibson RHP

Paxton- Can pump his fastball consistently around 96, sometimes 98. He changes it up with a hard slider and a change. He's had knee issues but word is he's over that.

His ceiling is his slider and change take off and fastball stays consistent as he teams up with Felix to make a devastating Right/Left duo at the top of the rotation. His cellar will be as a power reliever in the 'pen.

Purke-Plus stuff that should get better as matures. Right now he offers a 92-95 fastball, a slurve that’s clocked at 78 and a change. His control is great and has the poise to become a big game pitcher. His only questions will be signability and his physicality.

He's knocked for being to slender, which could lead to injuries. However people forget he's only 18 and should fill out.

Sheppers-A first round talent that has been plagued by injury issues in the past, he's back for a second spin on who wants to be a millionaire. His fastball is consistently at 95 with movement, while sporting an above average power curve and change which he hasn't needed.

His poise makes him another of those pitchers you want to give the ball to on game day. If his health issues are behind, he'll be a heckuva pitcher.

Gibson-Sinking fastball in the low 90s, hard slider and plus change are what he offers, and he has above average command of all of them. He's pretty level headed it seems and he has a healthy track record. He also may need to add some bulk.

This would be my least favorite of the four aforementioned selections, but he is by no means a bad one or one that would make me shake my head in disgust.

No. 33- Steven Baron C

His defense is very solid behind the dish and "plays like a shortstop behind the plate" which means he's athletic and posses’ great catch and throw skills. His arm is strong and very accurate and he has the tools and athleticism to stick behind the plate.

His timing problems at the plate will hinder him from much hitting, but he can figure that out, he'll bring above average offense with average power from catching position. He's 19, so he has time to tweak his hitting woes and become a top 5-10 player at his position.

No. 51- Nick Franklin SS

He's kind of a jack of all trades type of prospect. Good but not great hitting and solid defense. But he does have one intangible that this club is sorely lacking, he's a gamer, a ball player, not an athlete, a ball player. This difference is he doesn't get by on talent and waltz his way through the motions.

He'll work hard for you and plays the game right, which brings leadership, even from the bench if that's where he ends up. Every championship team needs a couple of these guys, e.g. Dustin Pedroia.

For more information on the draft and other Mariners stuff check out

http://ussmariner.com/

http://prospectinsider.com/index.php

http://www.lookoutlanding.com/

http://www.bleedingblueandteal.com/

All are privately written with no notice by the Seattle Mariners.

The Latest NFL Power Rankings That'll Be Laughed at Come February

Sam Woods — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:45:52 -0400

The biggest suicide mission on this website is making a list of who's good and who sucks. Yet, we all want to do it. This time, it’s my turn.

Let me start by saying that the first 21 or 22 teams on the list are definite contenders. That’s why I've made a ceiling and cellar ranks. This shows how high is realistic for a team to finish the regular season and how low they can fall.

Stuff like the whole team going down due to injuries could screw up the system, but whatever.

Here she goes....

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

As long as it’s before Week 1 and no major departures have taken place, the Super Bowl winner has to be No. 1.

Yes, I could see New England or the Giants and Eagles having better seasons. But for right now, they are first.

Bringing back a Super Bowl-winning team and having a solid draft is a recipe for more success.

Ceiling: Super Bowl winner

Cellar: Second in division, fifth seed in the playoffs.

2. New England Patriots

Tom Brady is back with yet another solid all around offseason by Belichick. I don't have anything else to say besides that if Brady is truly back to form, it’s another bright season looking ahead for the Pats.

Ceiling: Super Bowl winner

Cellar: Brady goes down, yet they squeak into the playoffs at the No. 6 seed.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

With one of the best offseasons this year, the Eagles have positioned themselves with the potential for an incredibly entertaining battle with the Giants all year long. Their offense is nothing short of scary.

With his blind side (and pretty much everywhere else) on lockdown, McNabb will have a great time finding, not only Maclin and Jackson, but draftee Cornelius Ingram plus LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook. Their defense is still elite even after Brian Dawkins' departure.

Ceiling: Super Bowl winner

Cellar: another roller coaster season, coming in as a No. 5 or 6 seed.

4. New York Giants

Jerry Reese is one of the best GM's in all of sports. This offseason he bolstered an already stellar defense with Chris Canty, Michael Boley and Rocky Bernard.

Not only that, he adds big target receivers Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden along with first round talent OT William Beatty with the 29th pick in the second round.

Al Davis, Scott Pioli, Jerry Jones, please take notes—especially Davis and Pioli. Reese had a better draft with low, low picks than you did with top 10 or top five picks. See, this is why you always pick in the top 10 and he picks in the 20's and 30's.

Ceiling: Super Bowl winner

Cellar: No. 6 seed. I see Philly winning the division, but not New York missing the playoffs.

5. Baltimore Ravens

They didn't add a top receiver in the draft, but when you have Michael Oher staring you in the face at 23, I can't really complain when you take him. Flacco can still wing it, Magahee/McClain can still run it, and defense will keep them in games.....and score points......break bones.......I could go all day.

Ceiling: Super Bowl winner

Cellar: Six seed.

6. Indianapolis Colts

While I still see them winning the division, Tom Moore is gone. While it won't hurt them too bad, it will be noticed all season. The Colts may not dominate the regular season this year, but I still have them with an 11-5+ season. I know, terrible right?

Also, Polian quietly had a good draft. Look for Donald Brown to be a factor this year immediately.

Ceiling: Super Bowl loser

Cellar: Six seed.

7. Atlanta Falcons

True, Matt Ryan did not do as well as it may seem. True, he didn't have to. He just had to keep from embarrassing himself. True, he was a rookie and, true, he has the talent with potential to be much better.

New toy Tony Gonzalez is a legit threat to score every time he is thrown to. Add in Michael Turner and the beastly run game (who was as good as it may seem), and you have a prolific offense.

The defense isn't too shabby either. The DL will create a major pass rush as well as free up backers to make plays.

Ceiling: Super Bowl loser

Cellar: Six seed

8. San Diego Chargers

Let me make this clear. Yes, LaDainian Tomlinson is a great back. However, it matters little who is running behind that outstanding line, because you have to try to fail, to actually fail behind that wall.

Phillip Rivers is looking to prove his hot streak was no fluke, and has the weapons to do just that.

If Merriman does come back strong, eight might be a little low to put them. However, an interesting point needs to get more notice. The Bolts picked Larry English with their first pick, which is a point for concern. Maybe they're trying to stockpile at the position, but it may be more.

Ceiling: Super Bowl loser

Cellar: Four seed (division sucks)

9. Tennessee Titans

A team with some questions that need an answer. One, how does the DL perform without the rock in the middle? Two, how does Collins perform at age 36? And a statement: the Titans had a pretty easy schedule last year.

This year's is a lot better, so there might be a drop-off of two or three games.

Ceiling: Conference loser

Cellar: Miss the playoffs with an 8-8 record

10. Houston Texans

A team on the rise who finished 8-8 despite having no home games early on, their roster is littered with playmakers on offense and defense. However, something always happens that interferes with the Texans' plans for success.

If Matt Schaub can stay healthy and their stars keep improving (Andre Johnson is too scary to even think about), then they'll get their first winning record as well as a trip to the playoffs.

Ceiling: Second round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 8-8 or 7-9ish.

11. Seattle Seahawks

The only thing the 4-12 record means is that the Hawks got the best player in the draft, Aaron Curry.

Everyone is healthy again and Tim Ruskell orchestrated one of the best offseasons in the NFL. Matt Hasselback now has TJ Houshmandzadeh, John Carlson, Deion Branch, and Darius Butler to throw to.

The defense has its questions (mainly health-related) but should return to being one of the best on turf, led by Patrick Kerney, Marcus Trufant and the best linebacker corps in the league (Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill and Aaron Curry).

Bottom line, they need to stay healthy and keep from underachieving.

Ceiling: Second round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 7-9 record.

12. Chicago Bears

There is one big question brewing in Chi-town. How will the whole Cutler thing work? Jay Cutler likes to win high scoring games by throwing the ball.

However, the Bears operate by playing team football—running the ball and stopping teams on defense. If the two sides can mesh, this is a dangerous football team.

Ceiling: Second round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 6-10 record with problems and no first round pick.

13. Carolina Panthers

Delhomme may or may not bounce back from a mediocre (at best) season. However he has every reason to. He can throw the ball to Steve Smith all day or fall back on one of the best backfields in the league right now in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.

It'll also be interesting to how this Julius Peppers thing plays out.

Ceiling: Conference loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 7-9 record

14. Arizona Cardinals

While still the best team out west, they have their set of questions.

Does the defense play like regular season D or playoff D? Does Kurt Warner defy the laws of aging again? Where does Anquan Boldin end up?

If Warner can stay like he is, he'll have another fun year with Boldin, Breaston, Fitzgerald, along with new toy Beanie Wells. Like the Seahawks, they have their questions, yet have big reasons for hope.

While everyone will be paying attention to the Eagles-Giants battle, don't forget about the left coast.

Ceiling: Second round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 7-9 record

15. New Orleans Saints

First thing's first. Tip your hat to Drew Brees and his remarkable season. It's unlikely he duplicates it, but he will put up numbers that make fantasy owners drool.

The offense is in pretty good shape.

The defense can be either good or bad and no one will be surprised. It starts and ends with the DL, keeping players off Vilma and creating plays for Bullocks and Jenkins

Ceiling: First round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs 7-9 record

16. Washington Redskins

While the rest of the defense is nothing to get too excited over, the line looks to be outstanding. With Haynesworth commanding double teams, it should speed up the learning process for Brian Orakpo and create one-on-one matchups for him and Andre Carter.

Consistency is the key for both offense and defense. Although, if I were Jim Zorn, I'd want to see Clinton Portis get the ball more often. It brings more of that consistency and keeps the offense on the field.

Ceiling: First round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 6-10 record

17. Miami Dolphins

The Tuna has built a solid team all around. They can run the ball, take care of the ball and stop people relatively well while creating turnovers.

I just can't see the Dolphins getting anywhere with Chad Pennington at QB. A weak arm is mostly to blame, but he just flat out does not strike fear into any defender.

Ceiling: First round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs 6-10 record

18. Green Bay Packers

Everything comes down to how this switch to the 3-4 will work out. If everything goes smoothly, they are a top defense. If not, they're worse than last year.

I expect Aaron Rodgers to continue his good play. Maybe he can get some help from someone not named Greg Jennings, who by the way is one of the best receivers in the league.

If the defense and offense comes through, this team is back to 2007 form.

Ceiling: Conference loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs 4-12 record

19. Minnesota Vikings

The reason the Vikings are so low is because they just don't seem to get that if you have the likes of Tarvarias Jackson and Sage Rosenfels leading your team, you are going nowhere!

Yes, they made the playoffs but the Bears are stronger this year and the Packers can improve by five or six wins pretty easily.

Watch out for the Ken and Pat Williams situation and how it works out. Losing your leader on defense and not having one on offense is a recipe for disaster.

P.S. Brett Favre has become way too erratic to bring the Vikings any farther into the promised land.

Ceiling: First round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 6-10 record

20. New York Jets

Same as the Vikings, only they try to fix said problem.

The only problem with the solution to the problem is, Mark Sanchez will not be Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco. He had little playing time in college and has a No. 2 receiver as his No. 1.

The hope that Jets fans have to cling onto is Rex Ryan. He is the man behind the dominating Ravens D. Last year, the Ravens proved that you don't need a legitimate passing game to contend.

Only, the AFC East has more competition.

Ceiling: First round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 5-11 record

21. Cincinnati Bengals

Some people including me see this team as a potential winner in '09, maybe even sneaking into the playoffs. Their defense was not bad last year and did adequate with Ryan Fitzpatrick leading the charge.

Well, Carson Palmer is back and has Andre Smith protecting him with some hope on defense.

Ceiling: First round loser

Cellar: Miss playoffs, 6-10 record

22. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco will most likely play the role of spoiler this year to Arizona and Seattle. They'll bring an East coast, smash-mouth style to a predominately West coast division.

I love what Singletary is doing. It just won't pay dividends quite yet.

Ceiling: Second place, 8-8

Cellar: Third place, 6-10

23. Dallas Cowboys

An already inconsistent defense lost Chris Canty and no Keith Brooking does not make up for that. Wade Phillips is hugely overrated and the passing game will come and go as well.

About the only thing that saves this team from third or fourth place is their running game. While the duo of Marion Barber and Felix Jones is a dusey, it’s not enough.

Ceiling: Miss playoffs, 9-7 record

Cellar: 5-11

24. Oakland Raiders

Oh Crazy Al, how we thought we knew you. We thought we had you pegged that you were going to take the faster Jeremy Maclin over Michael Crabtree. How we thought we finally deciphered your ways.

But in order to bury everyone's head in their hands yet again, you picked Darrius Heyward-Bay, a second round talent, with the No. 7 overall pick. You sly dog, you.

Jokes aside, Oakland is given enough credit. While they won't be winning Super Bowls or probably not even winning their division, I see them in second place. Their running game is solid and they are a better overall team than Denver or Kansas City this year.

If the team buys into Cable's ways and plays like a team, good things are in this teams future. Yep, that's right. The Raiders don't have to wait out Al's life in order to win.

Ceiling: Second place, 8-8 record

Cellar: Third place, 5-11

25. Jacksonville Jaguars

I still think David Garrard can still put together a nice season and Jones-Drew is a capable running back.

However the defense comes and goes. Even if all the off-the-field stuff goes away, I don't think this team has what it takes to really compete with the likes of the AFC South.

Ceiling: Fourth place, 7-9 record

Cellar: 4-12

26. Buffalo Bills

First they hinder Trent Edwards’s development by bringing in TO. Then they get rid of his blind side protector in Jason Peters.

So now, Trent gets his spine twisted and his skull damaged during the game. Then, he has to deal with Owens blasting him for not getting him the ball. And now that Terrell is there, the media is all over Edwards when he fails.

Oh, and Marshawn Lynch might be suspended.

Things were looking good in Buffalo. Now, not so much. Even if the TO thing does pan out and someone steps up at LT, they still can't touch their division rivals, mainly New England.

Ceiling: 7-9 record

Cellar: 4-12

27. Denver Broncos

How can disciples of Belichick fail so miserably all the time? McDaniels traded an actually talented QB for one that works in a system that doesn't exist in Denver and won't exist.

They had a terrible draft and signed a bunch of old defensive players, somehow forgetting how bad his DL was.

All the while, they had a chance to draft an excellent pass rusher that has the work ethic of a madman—shoving a giant middle finger to the fan base and trading what looks to be a top ten pick for a nickel corner because he's afraid of Heyward-Bay.

Well Broncos fans, you may now see your future thrive in Chicago and Seattle.

Ceiling: 5-11 record

Cellar 2-14

28. St Louis Rams

The Rams had a very good draft all around but the big pick being Jason Smith out of Baylor. Although he doesn't start at LT right away, that'll be his spot for a decade or so.

Steven Jackson is still a very capable runner and the defense is getting better. This rebuilding project will take longer than this year. So Rams fans, just cling to the hope for the future when watching this years team.

Ceiling: 4-12

Cellar: 2-14

29. Cleveland Browns

Another team that’s going nowhere.

They have an unproven QB with a receiver that has the case of the dropsees. Meanwhile, management wants out, there's no running game and a mediocre line.

Their defense has some bright spots in Shaun Rodgers and Kamerion Wimbley, but they are below average overall.

Also, Mangini is completely inept as evidenced last year and on draft day. To top it all off, they have to play the Steelers and Ravens twice each.

Ceiling: 4-12

Cellar: 2-14

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Like the Rams, these guys are on the right track. But it's just not going to happen this year.

Josh Freeman was a huge reach and will need time to develop. The defense is changing and there might be a little bit of a learning curve there as well.

Once again, I like what’s going on in Tampa. It's just this year is not going to be your year.

At least you'll have a buddy to ride it out with. Try to stay from the likes of Cleveland, Denver, Oakland, and Kansas City—they're bad influences.

Ceiling: 4-12

Cellar: 2-14

31. Kansas City Chiefs

Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels are the latest examples on why you don't hire Belichick disciples.

Pioli whiffed the best defensive player in the draft, traded for Matt Cassell, who—like Pioli himself—will never see success outside New England, and switched to the 3-4 despite Glenn Dorsey not fitting that scheme at all.

One move I like is the hiring of Todd Haley. That'll bring some good things to KC.

Ceiling: 3-13

Cellar: 1-15

32. Detroit Lions

I'm kind of moot on the things going on in Detroit.

I doubt they go 0-16 again, but I think it was a mistake to add Pettigrew with the 20th pick. While he gives Stafford another weapon, Michael Oher and Will Beatty were still on the board.

Beatty ended being on it for the 33rd pick too. Now the Lions are handcuffed into bringing in a LT of the future next year instead of DE or some defensive leader.

For Detroit's sake, I really hope they know what they're doing. The lovable losers of football have their work cut out for them, along with another looooooong season.

Ceiling: 3-13

Cellar: 0-16

So that's it. I might have more on this some other time. But for now, I am done. Any advice, comments, etc. is more than welcome.

Get to Know Some of the Potential Mariners' Draft Picks

Sam Woods — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:16:12 -0400

Let me start off by saying I have absolute, complete, and total faith in Z's expertise when it comes to the draft.

But I'm going to take a crack at it—more like a dent, seeing how I'm not going too deeply into it.

For the Mariners to be successful, the middle of the field (C, SS, 2B, CF) must be above average either defensively, offensively, or both. Once this core is in place, the position players in the M's system can be the support for this core.

The pitching staff is the same basic idea.

The pitchers in our system look to translate into power relievers (Fields and Aumont) and No. 3-5 starters (Pineda, Ramirez, and possibly Adcock). So, to me, our needs have to be strengthening the middle of our field and finding a No. 2 pitcher, preferably left handed.

The problem is this draft is extremely shallow.

That's bad seeing how this particular draft is critical to the success of this team's near future.

So is it better to just go after the best talent available?

In some instances...yes.

Here's my No. 2, 27, 33, and 51 picks.

No. 2—Dustin Ackley, CF, North Carolina

This pick should go to the best available talent.

Assuming Strasburg doesn't fall, Ackley is the best overall talent and also is the safest pick (Aaron Curry anyone?). He projects to be either a LF with good defense or CF with average D.

Either way, he will hit.

Maybe he won't hit for extreme amounts of power, especially at Safeco, but he's going to be a consistent .300+ hitter every year, take some batting titles, and be a consistent threat for a 20/20 season.

He's also patient, something Z has been looking to add—patient lefty hitters, and with good reason. He seems like a No. 2 hitter to me, maybe a leadoff man.

Basically he'll be a .330, 15 HR, and 25 SB guy who draws a lot of walks and is left handed...in a few years.

No. 27—Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita HS

LHSP's Tyler Skaggs and James Paxton are options here as well, but I'd go with the SS out of Bonita High School. Although he isn't as patient as you might want to see, he's strong and figures to bulk up enough to hit about 15 HR, but not enough that he needs to get a position switch.

He too figures as a No. 2 hitter. His defense is known to be smooth and above average, and he will stick at SS. He'll need some time to develop most likely, but he's the eventual replacement for Betancourt.

No. 33—Bobby Borchering, 1B, Bishop Verot HS

This may be a little bit of a stretch, seeing how Borchering may or may not make it to this point, but I'm going to say he does.

This pick is one for talent and not need.

Borchering is a switch hitter with great bat speed and power, although he does have a slight uppercut that could lead to contact issues in pro ball. He also strikes out surprisingly little for someone who fits that description.

So, from what I gathered, he seems like a switch hitting Russel Branyan with less strikeouts. After the year Russel is having so far, a lot of smiles just formed on Mariners fans' faces reading this.

Hopefully he stays off the injury list.

I haven't been able to dig up anything on his defense, but he's young and has plenty of time to work on that under Captain Jack's system.

No. 51—Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt

If Minor was available here it would be wise to take him.

He has a pitcher's body and features a low 90's fastball with what is considered a plus change, solid curve, and slider. His mechanics are great, but he's been a lot more hittable this year which may raise some eyebrows on some teams, causing him to fall to 51.

Although this concern me as well, I still see him as a No. 3 or 4 starter. Still, that's not really the core we are looking for; it’s a left handed arm in a M's system dominated by righties.

So there it is.

Once again, I'll leave this to Captain Jack and Co., but this is my take.

One thing to look for on draft day is the number of positional players vs. the number of pitchers taken. Z likes to draft hitters high and they tend to have great success.

Look for this and team, and particularly our offense, to explode in the next five years.

I Take Over Bud Selig's Job for a Day

Sam Woods — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:32:33 -0400

Bud Selig has been ripped and praised over his long tenure as baseball's commish. Probably his most drawn out headache would be about his players and performance enhancing drugs.

He hasn't really done much it seems to the common fan. Yes he's had suspensions and punishments put in place, but the problem is players are still using them year after year after year.

And no I'm not talking about Icy Hot or allergy medication. If I were Bud Selig, this is how things would go down.

1. Anything that's in a player’s body that was taken in the past, is dropped, they get off scot-free.

2. Beginning next year players will be hit with test after test all year long. The numbers can regress after a couple years but for now, we need to let them know there's no way out.

3. First offense: 50 day suspension. Second offense: Year long suspension (365 normal calendar days, so it’s not like 3 seasons). Third offense: Lifelong ban from the MLB. Harsh? Maybe so, but I can't see my first loved sport die like this.

4. All major records broken from 1990 on are erased. That means we go back to Roger Marris' 61 and Hank Aaron's 755.

All minor single player records will receive an asterisk. Yes there are some records that were broken honestly, and to those records, I'm Sorry. This era must be put to rest, so that baseball can move on with its dignity.

Maybe it’s the TV ratings or excitement home runs and power pitching strikeouts bring that keeps us from acting. Being a Mariner fan, I have seen how interesting small can be. They play minuscule ball, and it’s extremely entertaining.

Sure they've lost a few lately, but unlike last year, they are fun to watch even in defeat. When steroid abusing big bopper teams lose, it’s somehow always frustrating.

Baseball's golden age saw home run hitters on nothing but hot dogs and beer. I wish I was alive to see that, rather than the millionaire drug abusing overly ripped players of today.

The guys of the 10's and 20's were just guys having fun and really not earning nearly as much as they might be able to working somewhere else. Sure there are exceptions, but generally, they just loved the game.

No one is the judge of fandom, and if you like what you see today that's more than fine, I just wish it had some integrity behind it as well.

Why the Seahawks Will Be NFC West Champs in 2009

Sam Woods — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:31:46 -0400

2008 was a down year for Seattle. We lost our Sonics, and the Mariners and Seahawks failed under pressure to succeed. However things are looking up. The M's are on the right track and the Thunder are the laughing stock of the league. Not only that, but the Seahawks are ready regain their NFC West thrown. This slideshow will feature the top reasons why the Seattle Seahawks are a force to be reckoned with. Later I will do the same thing on reasons why they won't, but this is about why they will.

Begin Slideshow

Just How Good Was the Seattle Seahawks' Offseason?

Sam Woods — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:42:35 -0400

We all know that, without a doubt, this was a good if not great offseason. In fact, BR has beaten it to death, but with good reason. If this were happening in New York, Philadelphia or New England, everyone would know about it.

It's a common happening here in the rainy outpost of the northwest, and its something we've learned to live with. This probably won't wake anyone up, but that's alright, it'll happen when the Cardinals fall and this Seahawk team "comes out of nowhere!"

Let’s review this offseason. Primary needs going in were depth to the OL, add a reliable option at WR, size on the defensive front, and a reliable DB or S option for the league's worst pass defense. Some secondary needs were WR speed, RB depth, and overall talent and a true blocking FB.

The 'Hawks drafted Max Unger and re-signed Ray Willis, signed Housh and drafted a real winged man, Deon Butler. They also signed 300 some odd pound Colin Cole, traded for Cory Redding, signed CB Ken Lucas, and Fullbacks Owen Schmitt and Justin Griffith.

Oh and we also drafted a linebacker named Aaron Curry. Word on the street is he's pretty talented.

With the Cardinals not getting to much better in their offseason and a predicted regression by Kurt Warner, this division is ripe for the taking. It's still the Cardinals' division to lose, as they are still immensely dangerous on offense and good enough on defense.

The 49ers are headed in the right direction; it’s just hard to see them really competing this year. I seem them as the spoiler team that wins some games they aren’t supposed to, but not enough to make a lot of noise.

I'd have my money on the Seahawks because of defense. Seattle can hang with Arizona in the passing department with a healthy QB, receivers, and line, something they will have this year. Their defense is no doubt better than the Cardinals, in all areas.

So I have them winning the division this year as the No. 3 seed (No. 1 winner of the east, No. 2 Atlanta) and I have them beating the No. 6 seed Carolina Panthers. But then they run into trouble in Atlanta.

But, the 2010 draft vaults them into uber contention. Let’s say they have the No. 6 pick (From Denver) and we'll say the 22nd pick.

At No. 6, we should be looking at one. Our next franchise QB two. A thunderous safety three. Adrian Peterson 2.0. Sam Bradford will likely be gone, as will Taylor Mays (the Raiders). There doesn't seem like there will be any backs that are worth No. 6 either. So let’s look at our options.

S Eric Berry, Tennessee; QB Jevan Snead Ole Miss and DT Ndamukong Suh/Gerald McCoy Nebraska/ Oklahoma. Jevan Snead will likely be available later, so I'd take the ball hawk out of Tennessee, Eric Berry. He's been compared to Ed Reed a lot, and that's something every team is looking for.

With the 22nd Pick we should select Jevan Snead if he is on the board. However, with Denver picking before us (Chicago's pick) that likely won't happen. So here's the plan: With this pick, we get RB Jonathan Dwyer, and in the second round, we grab this no name QB, Tim Hiller.

He plays at Western Michigan, so he doesn't get noticed all that well, but from what I've heard he's strong armed, good instincts, and really good size. His weaknesses start and end with his footwork, if he can get that straightened out, he'll be a Ben Roethlisberger type QB for years to come.

So in the first two rounds we pick up Ed Reed, Ben Roethlisberger (may take a year or two to develop though), and I haven't been able to dig up enough information on Dwyer to draw much of a comparison but many scouts and analysts are putting him mid-late first round.

Not Bad.

Our defense is now savage with playmakers Berry and Trufant behind our LB trio, behind a line that is getting bigger and back to health, all playing in a defensive scheme that turns their size weakness into strength by playing to their speed strength.

On offense, our line is getting younger and also may find new life under a new scheme, the receivers are getting older yes but that can be addressed fairly easily. A new premiere back is in place to take full advantage of Knapp's offense, and we laid the foundation for future success with Tim Hiller. Not to mention what we could pick up later in the draft.

So, as this long drawn out article comes to a close, remember Hawks fans, 2009 looks bright, the future looks even brighter.

Analyzing The New and Improved Seattle Seahawk D, and Is There More To Come?

Sam Woods — Sat, 02 May 2009 23:25:16 -0400

Over the offseason the Seattle Seahawks have gotten bigger, stronger, faster, younger, and better on a defense that missed a step and fell on its face in 2008.

Additions like Colin Cole, Cory Redding, Aaron Curry, re-signing Leroy Hill, signing Ken Lucas, and acquiring a 2010 first round pick, which could also be used on defense, are the reasons we will be competitive in 2009-2010.

This is a relatively quick breakdown of the Hawks defense for next year.

The D line is the key to their success, which of course, means it’s full of ifs.

If Patrick Kerney can return to 2007 form, if Jackson learned enough in his first year to play to his potential this year, and if new additions Colin Cole and Cory Redding can keep bodies of our league best linebacker trio, then this defense will dominate teams rushing and passing attacks. But if to many of these things go wrong, or one or more goes terribly wrong, this defense will struggle, and the team will have to rely on the offense to win football games, which is not as much of a winning plan

You may know that I wanted to pick USC QB Mark Sanchez with the No. 4 overall pick. That was mainly because I didn't believe Aaron Curry or Jason Smith would be available, and I did mental backflips with the rest of Seahawks fans when the Chiefs picked Tyson Jackson.

With the addition of Curry, the Seahawks linebacker trio got even better, and made the Julian Peterson trade look like a steal. Leroy Hill can assume JP's role of rushing the passer, while Tatupu and Curry will join forces to become a wall to opponents running games. Yep, our backers are awesome.

The addition of Ken Lucas could really turn out to be a really good one. I mean take your pick (no pun intended) to which you would rather throw to, Ken Lucas or Marcus Trufant?

If we can get even an adequate pass rush these guys will go nuts. Last year teams stayed away from Trufant and just went after Wilson/Jennings. Now it’s not so easy. Either way is doomed to fail.

The safety positions aren’t as exciting, and I think we all are in agreement that Brian Russell's time in Seattle is finished if he keeps getting burned on every deep pass. On the other hand, Coach Mora is the former DB coach and there is no way he ignores the DB's as head coach. Look for this area to improve greatly.

If everyone plays to their potential, this defense quite simply can't be beat. If you try to run the ball, you won't get more than two or three yards because that’s when you run into our linebackers. And if we get off a decent pass rush, you can't pass too much before you get picked off. The only real concern I have is our safeties vs. the Cardinals. However like I said before, Coach Mora will definitely work with them.

With this defense, Hasselback can play his game with his new plethora of receivers. He can send it deep to Burleson or Branch, or drop it in the middle to Housh or Carlson. The line is rebuilt and ready to go, which means to running back production will increase. This offense isn't going to out gun many teams, but it will put up enough to win.

And don't forget we have two first rounders next year. One in the top 15, perhaps top 10 or five, and one hopefully 20+. Perhaps 2008 was a blessing in disguise.

Seahawks 2009 Draft Will Cause The New Era Sink Or Swim

Sam Woods — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:06:50 -0400

This draft is by far one of the more important drafts in recent memory for the Seattle Seahawks franchise. It's been awhile since we held the No. 4 spot, and now that we have it, we have to cash it in to its fullest extent. I think we can learn a thing or two from what the Mariners have done.

They did not completely tear down and rebuild, nor did they keep the failing "It’s now or never!" faith alive. Captain Jack "reshaped" the roster so that the M's can win now AND win in the future.

At the No. 4 spot the Seahawks can do just that. As many already know, they aren't that far off from the playoffs going into next season (much like the M's). Both teams play in a considerably weak division that is easily winnable. And I believe that if everyone was healthy and the season started today, that we would win it.

That being said there are needs that need to be addressed.

This is how the Seahawks can draft to win now and for the next decade.

First Round/ No. 4 - Mark Sanchez QB USC

Now I know many people are particularly hostile to this pick, and I was once one of you. I wouldn't read anything that had to do with Sanchez going to the Seahawks because I didn't think he was worth No. 4 overall. I still think it might be a little bit of a stretch, but here's why it’s worth it.

He fits into our system very well. He's smart. He looks off defenders well, makes every NFL throw with accuracy, quick and very nice footwork help him as well. The biggest knocks are lack of experience and inconsistency (which is only from one season, so shouldn't be that big of a red flag).

That's why he sits for a year or two until Matt is done, much like Aaron Rodgers behind Favre (Hopefully we don’t have a saga like that but that’s in the future). He learns for a year or two under the best in the business, and when he's ready, he'll take the reigns and let us be competitive for another decade.

But the biggest thing I like about him is he works hard and is a winner. Did you see how pissed he was after the Oregon State game? That's the kind of attitude we need to electrify this somewhat boring team. That’s what will get us into the Super Bowl and win a *second Super Bowl.

Second Round/ No. 37 - William Beatty OT UConn (If available, if not then Jamon Meredith OT South Carolina)

This is based on need and the win now approach + pretty darn good value. Once again, they learn behind one of the best, Walter Jones, for a year and then take over. If he doesn't pan out at LT, then Beatty would be a pretty good option at RT, and we slide Locklear over (I've never particularly liked Locklear, but the team seems to, and they know more than me).

However, I think both are capable of being multi pro bowl LT though.

I also like USC's Brian Cushing/ Clay Mathews, I just have a hard time believing they make it out of the first round. If they do, it’s definitely something to consider, and a no brainer if Beatty, Britton, and Meredith are unavailable.

Third Round/ No. 68 - Chip Vaughn S Wake Forest

Once again, something we need + good value. Vaughn is more of a in the box, stopping the run minded S but I think Mora Jr. will work with him and Vaughn can become a decent if not above average cover man.

He's big 6' 2" and his hard hitting presence may strike fear into receivers as early as this year.

I like this pick because the raw ability is there, and with Mora being a former DB coach, I think he could teach Vaughn some necessary assets about playing S. Plus, we get to get rid of Brian Russell. Say it with me "YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Fourth Round/ No. 105 - Ramses Barden WR Cal Poly

This might be a little late to address needs at WR for some, but I like this pick. At 6' 6", he's quite the target to throw to. I don't think he'll be much more than a possession type receiver in the NFL, but a good one at that, even if he doesn't have the coveted excellent hands.

But with his height and long arms, he kind of seems to be a poor man's Plaxico. A very poor man's, he won't be a No.1 or maybe not even a No.2 but he could be a useful big bodied target for Sanchez. He isn't likely to do much for Matt. Then again Housch won't do much for Sanchez if it takes him the expected two years.

Fifth Round/ Np. 137-Kaluka Maiava OLB USC

Lets play a game: "struggles at times because of his lack of size. He's shorter than ideal and doesn't have a lot of strength. Tight ends and tackles can easily take him completely out of a play because he struggles to disengage"

Is that the scouting report for Tatupu or Maiava? Thought so. The last time we gambled on someone that was undersized (also from USC by the way) we won to say the least. I think we can do it again.

At worst this guy is a special teams stud, which for a 5th Round pick, aint half bad. Special Teams are a 1/3 of the game right? Plus he's from USC, extra points for that.

There's a chance he could be gone however, so if this fails, I like Kory Sheets, the RB out of Purdue.

Sixth Round/ No. 178 - Ian Johnson RB Boise State

He's a hard working gamer, and as you may already know, I think that's vital to a team's success. His quick/sharp cutting running style fits well into our new zone blocking scheme. He also can be a good compliment to Jones and Duckett.

Not quite a thunder and lightning running approach that I'd like to see, but for this year, it works. Next year I think we should get focused on a Thunder/Lighting, two headed monster, whatever you want to call it type of ground attack. Hopefully that’s going through Knapp's mind as well.

Seventh Round/ No. 213-Tom Brandstater QB Fresno State

This is a late round developmental selection. A Matt Cassell hopeful if you will. That would be nice. I would also be pleased to see good interior line help here.

So there you have it. The start of a new era of fresh ideas into a organization that could fall way behind if they aren't careful. This draft should set them up towards letting that not happen.

I believe with this draft, and next year focusing on bringing in a Thunder and Lightning run game approach, while also staying true to our identity, the passing attack, and getting the line beefed up with young studs, as well as getting a playmaker opposite Trufant and maybe getting a quality pass rusher for a aging Kerney, and this club is set up to be competitive now, and great in the future.

This philosophy of reshaping now, dominating later that Captain Jack has introduced, must take flight in all of Seattle. We must tweak our conventional ways to modernize ourselves and be ahead of the game and be the team of next decade like the Pats were this decade. This city, although not necessarily making it too obvious, is hungry and deserving of NFL dominance.

Reshape now, dominate later. Spread the Word.