Bleacher Report - Articles by Chad Lewis

The Time to Sell is Now

Chad Lewis — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:29:51 -0400

The Mariners 2009 season has been phenomenal. Everyone except for the Mariners and there fans believed they could do what they have done thus far. Heck, even some of the Mariners players didn't know that they would be where they are right now. It has been exciting for both the Mariners players and the Mariners fans. We have had so many close suspenseful games, yet we have come out with a win the majority of the time. It hasn't been this fun going to see the Mariners play since the 2001 season; which you guys already know of. There has been so much excitement and belief within the organization brought on by many people. Many people including analyst said that we would not be able to keep it up. "Let's wait until july and then we will see where they are". Well, where are we? We are in a race. Yet sadly, I feel as if it is coming to an end starting today.

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Why Not Josh Willingham for the Mariners?

Chad Lewis — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:24:35 -0400

I was commenting on someone's article the other day and came across a very reasonable proposal. The proposal would bring Josh Willingham to the Seattle Mariners in a trade before the deadline.

What would it take for Willingham to become a Seattle Mariner? A source says that Washington is very interested in receiving pitching in return for Willingham, seeing as how they lack in the pitching department:

http://stlcardinals.scout.com/a.z?s=321&p=2&c=880717

Willingham, who turned 30 this season, is still a very solid, consistent bat who plays left field. He is due to make just under $3 million this year, and the Mariners just unloaded Yuniesky Betancourt's contract of $2.3 million to the Royals. Willingham is currently batting .294 with 13 home runs, 29 RBIs, a .414 on-base percentage, and a slugging percentage of .564 in 211 at bats.

I believe he would be a very good addition to the Mariners line-up, which is awful when it comes to offensive production. He is relatively cheap for the kind of game he brings to the table . I am not sure if the Mariners are willing to give up any pitching prospects, seeing as how they aren't exactly rich in pitching either.

Although the Nationals have said they would prefer pitching in return for Willingham, I believe Z could work out a deal to acquire Willingham. Although Saunders will be brought up soon, Willingham could provide a bat right now in left field for the remainder of the year on a low salary, and then exit stage right.

In my opinion, Josh Willingham brings the kind of bat which I believe the Mariners need, that is if they do decide to buy. It looks as if they might go down the path of not one or the other, but both. They may end up making trades which can help now but also set up the future.

It will be extremely exciting to see what Z will bring to the Seattle Mariners in the next couple of weeks. I personally hope to see either Willingham or someone else who can stroke the ball well.

Don't Be So Harsh on The Seahawks' Secondary

Chad Lewis — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:48:04 -0400

Alright, first of all many of you guys will look at the title of my article and say why shouldn't we criticize the Seahawks secondary?

I am here to hopefully break down to you why I believe our secondary was not as godawful as many of you have come to believe. By no means am I saying it was excellent, just not as horrible as many of you have made it out to be.

First of all, let's start out with the D-Line.

We were banged up as hell last year on both sides of the ball. First of all we lose Patrick Kerney early in the year when he was on pace to get roughly around 10 to 12 sacks, and many of us know he is probably the most consistent pass rusher on our team.

He just never stops going. Even if he does not get to the QB in time for the sack, he almost always makes sure he forces some kind of pressure, which can be the difference between a huge play, which many teams did all year to us, and an incomplete pass.

The Seahawks were unable to get any pressure whatsoever on any of the QBs in mid-season of last year. It started out well with the duo of Kerney and Peterson, but once Kerney was injured and was taken out for the season, the opposing team would just pick up Peterson and that would be the end of the Seahawks' chance at getting any pressure on the QB.

Due to the lack of pressure on the QB he could take as long as he wanted, until one of his WRs would bust wide open for him to deliver the the perfect pass to.

The Hawks' corners can only chase the WRs around for so long. I am not saying that the lack of pressure was the only reason the secondary was awful, but it played a major role in it.

For example, let's look at Thanksgiving 2008—Cowboys vs. Seahawks. There was a particular play that I watched on NFL live, where Tony Romo had 8.3 seconds in the pocket just bouncing around, not worrying about a damn thing!

So what happens? He waits and waits, then decides he will wait some more and takes his girlfriend Jessica on a date, then comes back from that dinner and a movie and delivers the ball to T.O. who is cutting across the field for a touchdown. I mean seriously, 8.3 seconds!?

Now back to me supposedly defending the secondary. There are a couple of reasons that the Hawks' secondary will be better next year.

One huge reason is Colin Cole. He will take so much relief off the rest of the line by simply being there, which will free Hill (if re-signed that is) up to do his thing. Hill we able get to the QB, which he showed he can do in his rookie year, and Kerney will also be able have penetration, while Tatupu and Curry sit in the back field.

So many factors play into why the Seahawks' secondary was burned on countless plays last year. There are so many, but the main reason I could find was the lack of the pass rush. The Hawks have added size to the line, and with the healthy men back and Hill hopefully back, they can get some pressure on the QB, which can lead to some incomplete passes, a lot more interceptions, and more turnovers as well.

One more scenario I would like to look back on was the snowy Seahawks vs. Jets game. The Seahawks managed to rack up 5.5 sacks that game, which led to two interceptions. Yes, I understand that the snow had a lot to do with it, but we are also talking about Brett Favre here. He led the Packers to a romping of our Seahawks the year before in guess what? The snow. Much harder snow in Green Bay may I add.

So obviously I am getting at something; more pressure = better secondary.

We will have plenty of this in the '09 season.

Why The Seahawks Will Be a Contender Once Again in 2009/2010 Season

Chad Lewis — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:24:25 -0400

The reasons that I believe the Seahawks will be a threat once again in the NFC West this upcoming season goes on and on and on and on........

The Seahawks had the injury plague last season. Many NFL fans will simply look at the Seahawks record from the 08/09 season and say they are horrible. But, you really need to do your research before anyone goes and critically analyzes another fans team.

The Seahawks of 08/09 had the most injuries within a season in recent memory. That's not even mentioning the injuries that had already been lingering on from the previous season, such as Deion Branch and Bobby Engram.

First, lets start with the wide receiver core. Bobby Engram and Deion Branch were both unable to start the opening game of the season. In the first game of the season our final starter Nate Burleson was injured and had to have season-ending surgery as well as Logan Payne (a backup for Engram).

Then during a preseason game, Ben Obomanu (who was supposed to be able to prove himself with Engram out along with Branch) got injured and broke his collarbone and was out the entire season. So with those guys out we called up a man who had not played in the NFL for a couple of years....yup, Koren Robinson. He could not practice every week because he had a serious knee injury.

He was supposed to be our No. 1 guy. Then some good news in the injury department developed, and that was that Branch was going to be able to return to the field after the bye-week to face the N.Y. Giants. But, then Branch re-aggrivated his injury and was down for another five games (eight games total). So Engram returned with Branch and stayed relatively healthy the rest of the season.

But, it really doesn't matter how your wide receiver status is if your Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is suffering a serious back injury causing a disk to pinch his nerve. So Matt ended up missing nine games last season meaning it was up to the duo of Seneca/Frye. GREATTT!!!!!!!!

Then you move down to the O-line. Walter Jones' knees are getting bad and although he still performed up to the Pro Bowl material stuff everyone expected last year, you could see it slowly happening. Since he had to sit out many many practices last season due to his knees, he missed out on the Pro Bowl.

Sitting tight right next to him is Mike Wahle (a good acqusition) who was a pretty damn good linemen, especially lined up next to Walter Jones—which can't hurt.

But, then he injured his shoulder and had to have season-ending shoulder surgery making him miss 3-4 months. Then you move right over to the center where Chris Spencer was, Oh wait, no he wasn't there because he was injured as well. He was placed on the IR with a back injury so the unexperienced Steve Vallos stepped in for him (he actually did a reasonably good job).

Really the only one who did not have any problems on the line last year was Sean Locklear who is great and will continue to progress as he gets older.

Now lets move on to the defense. Marcus Trufant, who is no doubt a Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback, suffered a broken hand last year and was battling it basically all season.

And you guys probably already know that it is pretty much impossible to be a cornerback and put up the Pro Bowl stats that he has in the past with a broken hand. Although, he still did better than the other cornerbacks (Josh Wilson did show many bright spots though).

Lofa Tatupu, the heart and captain of the D, was battling a groin injury for more than half of the season and it showed in his statistics as well. We move to our most lethal pass rusher in Patrick Kerney. He was on track to have at least 11.5 sacks and 4.5 forced fumbles with the undersized line we had.

Many of you will say; well what is your excuse for the secondary, but I will have to give you that one in a way. Brian Russell is a hard hitter but not that great and pretty damn slow.

Deon Grant can be good egh....in some ways. But Kelly Jennings, OMG wow he is way undersized and got burned constantly. So the only one who really showed he has potential in the coming years is aforementioned Josh Wilson. Wilson had 76 tackles, three forced fumbles, four interceptions, and he is amazingly fast. And there is Trufant, which when healthy, the Hawks and the 12th man know what can do.

Now that I have proved my point on why they were so horrible last year, let me move on to why they will have a very good chance at taking back the NFC West.

One, T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He is a great route runner as many people already know. Decent speed (obviously not burn the cornerback speed), will hold on to just about anything that he gets his hands on, and is very very durable.

Plus he is not as old as many people make him out to be (31, not unbelievably old). Housh, Burleson, Branch, and John Carlson can be a great combo. Housh is great enough a player to be double teamed but at the same time Burleson, Carlson, and Branch have all proved to be too good to be left alone. So that will pan out great for them.

Two, they have beefed up there line with there most recent trade sending Julian Peterson to the Lions for Corey Redding and a fifth-round pick.

This makes sense because they were going to receive nothing out of it and have to swallow some of his due salary from this year. They instead get rid of the contract, regain the fifth-round pick they lost last year to the Broncos, get a player who adds the size up front which Mora wanted, and gives it all he has every time he steps out on the field.

Three, Hasselbeck has already said that his back feels stronger than it ever has, which can only be good news for a return of the Pro Bowl material stuff he has shown he is capable of in the recent years. Many sports analysts have already said that he is probably the best quarterback in the league behind Peyton Manning and Tom Brady overall.

Four, Greg Knapp, he has had his team finish in the top 10 for rushing stats in the NFL for five consecutive years when he was with Atlanta. And I'm sure if he can do that with McFadden, then he can figure something out with Julius Jones and "Big Boy" T.J. Duckett.

Again, many people will say; "Well look at Jones and Duckett's statistics last year," but again that leads back to the injuries the Seahawks O-line had to withstand last year.

Five, Gus Bradley has proven to be a great defensive-minded coach to go along with Mora. They will figure out how to use the big men the Seahawks have while still getting the quickness of the overall D involved.

In the end, the Seahawks will no doubt be a lot better than last season. With everyone healthy and a fresh new set of coaches and ideas. The Seahawks will have a great chance at stealing the division back.

Why We Seattle Seahawks Fans Should Be Excited About Corey Redding

Chad Lewis — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:13:29 -0400

I woke up this morning after hearing rumors about the Peterson/Redding trade. I went to the computer and sure enough the first thing I see on foxsports.com is "Julian Peterson to Detroit."

At first I was pretty upset as many Seahawks fans were and are. But, then I got to thinking and I have thought of some very good reasons of why we the 12th man should be pretty excited about this trade.

First of all I would like to say that I am not saying that Cory Redding is the greatest player in the NFL which he is obviously not, and I am not trying to make it out to seem that way.

For one though, Cory Redding (28) has been stuck in Detroit and believe it or not with a good supporting cast of players on his side of the ball he can be the player that signed that big contract recording eight sacks/48 tackles in 2006.

I believe that the main cause for his decline in stats is because he did not have that supporting cast in Detroit. Since he did not have any reasonably good talent along side him the opposing team would double team him if need be whenever they wanted.

Secondly, he is a pretty hefty man weighing in at 295 lbs. 6'4", plays very physically, gives it 110% every time he steps out on the field, is great at stopping the run, and has great character.

Thirdly, he is extremely versatile, I mean you have to admit that lining him up next to Kerney would be a pretty damn strong and dangerous side with Mebane and Cole plugging up the middle and Leroy Hill on the outside.

The reason why I myself am not upset about this trade is because Julian is an extremely talented player, but somehow as many people have said he just did not mesh with the team.

He was a player sitting in the corner of the room quietly racking up his pro bowl stats. Trust me I am not saying that Julian was a quiet player. He was a highlight real and split the sould of the D with Tatupu.

When I say that Julian Peterson is a player sitting in the corner of the room quietly racking up his pro bowl stats im saying that he was getting his stats but was not helping getting the Seahawks over the hump.

Another reason I am not upset about him leaving is that although he is a great player, alot of people forget that he was not the first choice for the Pro Bowl. If I remember correctly he was starting to get burned more often recently.

For example, in the Pro Bowl this year he was getting absolutely worked trying to cover Tony Gonzalez.

Fourthly, The Seahawks were going to release Peterson no matter what after he refused to take the pay cut yesterday.

So in my mind it is a steal that the hawks were able to regain their fifth round pick which they lost to the Broncos last season in a desperate move to scrape a WR out of there system to help out immediately which didn't pan out at alllllllllllll for the Seahawks!

Plus the hawks received a versatile DT/DE who can be used on either side which is slightly better then average.

So in the end Julian Peterson was a great player just didn't work out for the Hawks and the Lions grabbed a great guy in and out of the locker room.

As for the Hawks they get bigger up front and now have a greater chance of picking up Aaron Curry if they are looking into that with serious interest which I do not see why they would not.

Many people believe that he will not get past the Lions or the Chiefs, but the reasons why I believe he will are because for one, the Lions drafting a QB in Matt Stafford form is about 80%, and the Chiefs just received Matt Cassell and they will most likely want to make sure that he will not be eating the grass every play which is why I believe they will draft Jason Smith OT from Baylor.