



OFF THE CUFF

Energy level below Seahawks standard

Seattle returned to the field after their first pre-season loss in over two years and largely appeared to be going through the motions. A hallmark of Seahawks practices is the pace and passion on display. Music blares. Pete Carroll jogs and throws the football. Horns signal transitions from one drill to the next. There were many moments the past two years where Richard Sherman would start dancing, or Red Bryant would take exception with a Breno Giacomini block and start a scuffle, or Earl Thomas would woof at receivers and quarterbacks. Those moments have largely been absent during this camp. I have mostly chalked it up to a team growing up and being more professional. Today was different. There was no edge. It may just be the dog days of training camp taking its toll. Even if it is, now is the time for the leaders like Thomas, Sherman, Doug Baldwin, and Russell Wilson to step forward and remind everyone the bar they must clear every single day to be champions.



Trey Wolfe could be a keeper

It is unusual for a player to be signed off the free agent pile this late into camp who has any chance of sticking around. Wolfe may be an exception. He had me grabbing for my roster to see who #1 was in the early part of practice. He showed an explosive break on the ball in position drills, and continued his strong day with an interception in team drills. He outfought Paul Richardson for a jump ball on a deep throw down the sideline by Tarvaris Jackson. Maybe his fresh legs will wane and Wolfe will look more like the peripheral player his signing date would indicate he is, but his energy jumped out from a largely ho-hum day.

Kevin Pierre-Louis is missing a golden opportunity

Brock Coyle deserves all the accolades he is receiving, and has easily been the best new linebacker on the roster. That was a title everyone, including this blogger, expected Pierre-Louis (KPL) to grab. The Seahawks scout that was responsible for his region of the country compared KPL to NaVarro Bowman. There have been zero moments during camp where that comparison seemed appropriate. There have been some injury problems, but there has not been a single play from the rookie that has caught my attention. I watched him closely today, and his position drills were impressive. There was speed and quickness. Then he sat out team drills. The hope is that he heals enough to play this week and start to show why he was worth drafting, let alone comparing him to one of the NFL’s most ferocious linebackers. I will be waiting. He should not be.

The Jackson Jeffcoat experiment is not working

Ken Norton Jr. was cajoling and prodding Jeffcoat through much of practice. The team wants to see if he can fit at linebacker. It was ugly at practice. His feet are slow. His fitness level is questionable, and his coverage skills are nearly nonexistent. During one drill, where tight ends were getting work against linebackers in coverage, Jeffcoat was beaten badly. There was a good 3-5 yards between him in the tight end after only 10 yards from scrimmage. Norton asked him to line up again. It was worse. RaShaun Allen beat him downfield, and Jeffcoat flipped the motor off before the pass was even thrown and started jogging. The team has to be asking how he was so productive in college when he appears to have so little in the way of strengths. The position is still new to him, but it is hard to see him making up enough ground to even be worth a practice squad spot at this point.

Right tackle is a problem

Britt continued to run with the starters at right tackle. I would have expected Eric Winston to start splitting reps with him by now if they were considering him as a possible starter. Russell Okung was back, but Alvin Bailey stayed at backup left tackle instead of joining the right tackle fray. That may be because Okung is only partially participating so far. Whatever the case, Britt is a serious problem as a pass blocker. He has shown improvement, but he would need a lot of tight end help if the team is really planning on starting him.

STAND-OUT NEW FACES

CB Trey Wolfe

Looks smaller than the other corners, but showed great quickness and burst. Played with an infectious energy.

WR Kevin Smith

Had another nice catch in traffic.

CB Phillip Adams

Nearly had an interception after making a good read and great break on the ball. His hands betrayed him.

TE Morrell Presley

Presley has made a number of nice catches through camp, and did so again today during 7v7.

SIDELINED PLAYERS

Garrett Scott, Erik Pinkins (still in a boot), Malcolm Smith, Bruce Irvin, Korey Toomer, Russell Okung (partial participation), Kevin Norwood (in a boot), Jimmy Staten, Bobby Wagner, Kevin Pierre-Louis (partial participation), Michael Brooks, Akeem Auguste, A.J. Jefferson, Jordan Hill, C.J. Davis

THINGS I NOW KNOW





1. Richardson needs to be open to make a play

Richardson may be the anti-Golden Tate. He runs good routes and has top-shelf speed, but he is a little fragile and does not often come away with the ball in contested situations. I have witnessed a half-dozen or so moments where Richardson fought for the ball in the air with his defender. He has yet to win one. That was Tate’s bread-and-butter. Where Tate struggled was getting open reliably. Richardson should become the better receiver, but it appears he needs that speed and quickness so he can have space for his catches.

2. Baldwin does not mess around on special teams

You may remember that Baldwin told Pete Carroll he was reluctant to join the punt return battle because he enjoyed blocking so much on the return team. He showed why today when he pancaked TE RaShaun Allen during special teams drills. Allen weighs roughly 60 lbs more than Baldwin.



GENERAL IMPRESSIONS