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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A major shakeup in terms of the number of coaches turned over in the past week for the Seahawks, but we explore whether it really is a major overhaul in terms of philosophy for the team. Adam and Brandan discuss some of the major similarities with the new coaches compared to the former coaches who held the position.  Brian Schottenheimer replaces Darrell Bevell, Mike Solari is in for Tom Cable and Ken Norton Jr. returns to the team to take over for Kris Richard. Adam explains why he is two-thirds excited over these changes. Keith Myers of 12th Man Rising and co-host of the Hawks Playbook podcast joins the show to talk about the departure of Tom Cable and the impact he had on the offensive line during his tenure with the Seahawks. He also offers his thoughts on Mike Solari and why he's excited about the Seahawks going back to the coach who held the job during two of the worst Seahawks seasons in recent history. The Seahawks have their first arrest of the offseason as Jeremy Lane expresses his surprise that peo

Big news this week for the Seahawks as offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel and Tom Cable both let go by the Seahawks. This week's show focuses primarily on the change at offensive coordinator and some potential names that have been discussed immediately after the news came out. Adam talks about a candidate he likes who coaches running backs for the Titans while Brandan looks at a quarterback coach of a division rival. After venting last week, the guys come back toward looking ahead for some reasons for optimism at the various position groups with a focus primarily on younger players, but also some veterans who are at the core of this Seahawks team. Pete Carroll gave his end-of-season press conference recently and the guys reference how some of the comments from the head coach are important clues to how he seems this team moving forward. One name on defense may come as a surprise to be included in the top three, and on the offensive side of the football two names at running back were likely left off his list i

Pete Carroll called this Sunday's game against the Cardinals a microcosm of the season. Because he's absolutely right the brief overview of this game ends up leading into some of the major complaints for the season as a whole. Adam and Brandan attempt to dissect where some of the major grips are, and recognizing that this team still went 9-7 shows how the situation isn't as dire as many would suggest. Especially when you consider the circumstances of injuries and 3-4 kicks that contributed to missing the postseason.  Brandan recognizes that while it wasn't a "championship caliber" team at the end of the season, it was still a team that could rise up and get a win. Looking at how the team played from the first half of games to the second halves of games demonstrated there isn't an issue with talent on the team and how it must some different aspects of coaching or team mentality. Michael Bennett told the Tacoma News Tribune that he doesn't expect to be back next season. The guys offer their reaction and look ah

Though the final offensive statistics weren't what we've come to expect from a Seahawks team, this 21-12 victory over the Cowboys reminded both Adam and Brandan of a version of this Seattle team from recent history. Russell Wilson didn't need to put it in the air 30-40 times to get a win, instead they kept it on the ground and grinded out 30 runs while getting takeaways from the defense to secure the win. The run defense returned to help slow down Elliot's return to the Cowboys and it successfully ended any playoff chance for Dallas this season. Yet, Earl Thomas was caught on camera campaigning for his favorite team growing up to come get him.  Needing a victory over the Cardinals at home and a Falcons loss to the Panthers, the guys look ahead not just to the Arizona game but potential playoff opponents. Two options Adam doesn't want, one that he's okay with, and one that both guys really, really want to see happen in the Wild Card round. In the second half of the show the guys check in on Russell Wilson's MV

Even after a loss to the division rival, it turns out that the Seahawks can still win the division. If that's the case, why are people ready to throw in the towel, not just on the season but seemingly throw in the towel on the future potential of this team. Adam and Brandan put the loss to the Rams in historical context. With that context, it may be easier to understand why some Seahawks fans seem to be losing their mind. Brandan turns to the playoff generator to look at the scenarios out there that allow the Seahawks to get into the playoffs. The Cowboys find themselves in a similar situation. Does a win this week by either team just delay the inevitable disappointment the following week? It's a big week for Dallas, because their star running back is coming back from his suspension and he's probably going to be running angry. But will he enter the game without his top offensive lineman blocking for him? The guys look at the Cowboys injury situation. Because Santa is a Cowboys fan, Adam decided to sit on his

If there's any lingering frustration after the Seahawks 30-24 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, let's get it all out now. Adam and Brandan read through comments from The Flock following the game that hit all of the major points of frustration. But perhaps it's not the team to blame, maybe it's one of our listeners who is 0-4 when he's not able to watch the games live. No matter what happens, he's pledging to watch the upcoming game against the Rams live. Whether you're a Seahawks player or a fan, it's likely this Jaguars team was under your skin a bit. Adam says there's a specific year of Seahawks team that he compares the Jaguars defense to (and no it's not the defense that ended up winning the Super Bowl in the 2013 season). Even though this could have given the team a key game toward a spot in the playoffs, Seattle did get some help from a previous opponent. The guys talk about how small the margin of error now is for the team moving forward. Looking ahead to Sunday's game against the Rams, there are two k

With the Philadelphia Eagles coming into town this past week, Seahawks fans heard over and over how their opposition put up more points in the first quarter than any other team. Not only that, but their opponents had yet to score a first quarter touchdown. Seattle put an end to that streak and got out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, which turned the tables on the Eagles who had to try and come back from a 17-3 deficit by the 3rd quarter. Timely penalties by the Eagles defense helped keep the Seahawks on the field along with a lateral pass that has stirred up some controversy (because the Seahawks can't win in prime time without it). And Seattle's defense once again forced a fumble that went out the back of the end zone to help keep points off the board. It was a tremendous defensive performance and a reminder to anyone that might consider doubting the capabilities of a team down three Pro Bowl starters. Next up, the Seahawks head down to Jacksonville as the guys talk about some things to consider when Ru

With the win over the San Francisco 49ers, Russell Wilson passed another big milestone as the winningest quarterback in NFL history through his first six seasons. He also became the fastest players to throw for 150 touchdowns and rush for 3,000 yards. That puts him up with only seven other NFL players in history to hit those numbers and half of the retired players on that list are in the Hall of Fame. Bobby Wagner had another big game with an incredible interception and it was also a big day for tight ends. Nick Vannett caught his first touchdown pass in the NFL and Jimmy Graham now has more touchdown catches than any other Seahawks tight end in team history. Adam and Brandan talk about how much fun the tight ends room must be at the team facility and how it compares to the receiver's room. Looking ahead to the matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, the guys talk about what the Eagles do well, including the talk of Carson Wentz and his MVP potential. The Eagles are top in the league when it comes to run defens