Eric D. Williams took over the Seahawks beat and Seahawks Insider blog in December. Williams has covered the Seahawks, Sonics and high school sports for The News Tribune since joining the paper in 2006. Eric lives in Tacoma with his wife and two children.
Tacoma News Tribune columnist Dave Boling also contributes to the Seahawks Insider blog.
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The sides are ironing out a deal but a deal is not done yet. It almost certainly will be, however. John Clayton is reporting that the deal is for four years at $3 million per year.
Even if this gets done tonight, Shaun is not going to be cut tonight. He may be released soon, but this doesn't necessarily have to be a one-for-one deal. The Hawks don't have to cut Shaun to sign Jones.
Still, it certainly raises the question of why the Seahawks would hang onto Shaun. I called his agent's office and they are currently not accepting phone calls.
Mo Morris has not been told that he will be released, so I think for now he is safe. He has only one year remaining on his deal anyway, so it would not make much sense to cut him. The interesting part is that Jones and Morris have strikingly similar numbers. The year that Jones rushed for 1,000 yards in Dallas, he averaged only 4.1 yards a carry. Morris averaged 3.8 in 2006 and 4.5 in 2006.
Also, several folks have asked about the progress of the Marcus Trufant negotiations since he made the new proposal to Tim Ruskell. My understanding is that it has not progressed anywhere. Of course, Ruskell has been busy with signing Duckett and now Jones, so his attention has been elsewhere. Imagine if he gets the Trufant deal done in the next few days and releases Alexander, he will have cleared $10 million in cap space in one swell foop.
COMMENTS:
Totally unexpected and .... weird. GREAT news and BAD news all rapped up into one.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
SA or MoMO are surely on their way out the door. Maybe both if hawks still persue a RB in the draft.
Holmey wanted a change at the running game... he said it would happen... and boy he WASNT JOKING! New rb coach, new O coach that specializes in zone blocking, TWO new RB's that will work great for any team as a tandem.... and possibly a RB in the draft.
I think this is a smart move... IF they let SA go and or draft at least a 3rd round RB.
Jones is and has been dying to be the every down back and starter from start to finish. He's going to get his wish with the hawks otherwise he wouldnt of signed with them. That's the only reason why i could see JJ sign with the hawks instead of teams like CHI that were looking for an everydown back.
SA AND OR MOMO will be gone or traded.
JJ was in on run and pass plays only from the 20 yard line to the 20 yard line. Barber got 90% of the carries in the redzone.
Naturaly JJ's numbers wont look as good. He is alot better then what SA was the last two years and that's a fact.
you bring up good points but I think it all comes down to economics. Morris fits better into holmgren's scheme and is being paid only $1 million for 2008, the final year of his contract, while Shaun doesn't fit as well and is being paid almost $5 million and has several years remaining at big numbers and is a lightning rod for controversy and everything else that goes into him. It doesn't make sense to release Morris at his number when he is a viable backup but hang on to Alexander at his number when he clearly does not think he is a backup.
Of course, pouting and bad attitude can change that rapidly, but for right now, why get rid of anyone?
"I will say this: Seattle's an awfully good fit. The one-cut style of running the Seahawks prefer, behind zone blocking, will allow Jones to play to his strengths, getting out on the edge, reading the defense and hitting the seam, rather than being forced to beat guys one-on-one in a phone booth."
I like both this and the Duckett move; frees us to address other needs in the draft. If they re-sign Hackett, they can draft a TE and DL in the early rounds, and it's damn good off-season.
I like the way TR is shaking things up. Time to play for your money boys!
Can't wait till the draft.
At this point, with the RB situation completely revamped, I love our selection at 25 for BPA. Not counting the draft, at this point we go into 2008-09 as good as if not better than last season. I expect the organization to identify value and immediate contribution players in this draft like they have in the last 3 years.
The flexibility this signing gives us is fantastic. If the offensive lineman drop you can pick a quality guy up and build for the future. Playmaking TE as a #1 is not always a bad thing (especially with 'Beck as your QB). Impact defensive lineman still exist at this point too. A spell guy for Tapp or a guy like Letroy Guion DT out of Florida State. I have no inside info on this but does anyone really expect Tubbs to come back strong? Having a 3 DT rotation in Mebane, Bernard, and a talented rookie would be pretty cool imho.
I haven't been one much to take a side in the whole GM debate, but Ruskell is decisive and attacks hard to build the team the way he wants it. I can't say I disagree with his decisions.
You got to keep Morris because he knows the playbook unlike Duckett and Jones and the rookie they wont know the playbook and holmgren said he want to keep RB that knows the playbook. 1 million vs 5million hmm who to keep. I take the cheap guy.
I was thinking of something the other day in regard to the Duckett signing. At first I wondered why we'd have two backs in the same mold, Weaver and Duckett. Of course, there's nothing wrong with two big bruisers who can be used in a "jumbo" or "full house backfield" type of play in short yardage and goal line situations. But considering the signing of Putzier as a replacement for Joppru, if we draft a TE who isn't exactly a power blocker (but is a real receiving threat), an extra big back like Duckett can be seen as some blocking addition in lieu of the lack of a power blocking two TE set. Just a thought.
The money on this deal is what impresses me the most.
4 years 12 mil? For Julius Jones?
Maybe its because the only exposure we had to Jones came in the form of 200-yard performances, but that seems like a heck of a bargain from where I sit.
I would love to see Hackett back in Seattle....and it might happen, but the problem is knowing what to do with a really talented receiver that can't seem to stay healthy. He's gonna run to the money, if someone's gonna pay it....if no one will pay it....then he may sign a one year deal with Seattle at a reasonable salary.....and try and prove himself for a more lucrative contract. If Branch can't play much early on, or at all....and they don't sign Hackett...can we really go with Burleson, Engram and some of the younger guys?....is this the year that we get to see more Seneca??? Probably not, but it sure would be fun to see.
Plan A keep SA, Plan B meet with other potential FA RB's and if they sign what we have to offer, go to plan B release SA. Last week was Plan A. Things change.
Hawker... i was trying to avoid the comment. im glad you brought it up. Hawks will be using zone blocking to open up the run game next year with our new coaches. It's all but set in stone at this point. I'd be really really suprised if hawks didnt zone block for just about every play.
This is where JJ will rock the turf with the zone blocking.
After spending 2 years defending him, blaming it all on the line, reminding us all of how he was MVP in '05 (he was 6th or 7th best on our team that year, much less the league - MVP is the same gauge of talent that record sales are (Brittany). They will now have to come up with a whole new line of reasoning why it's somebody else's fault and not that Shaun has been a worthless Diva every year but his contract year.
It's not about salary cap with Shaun, it's clearing out a wasted roster spot.
I think this sets up for them to draft for best available player such as OT or TE in round 1 and then pick up a RB in the third (Mike Hart?). I also think this shows that Ruskell is smart enough to realize that none of the big 4 RB's have a chance of falling to us at 25.
But that's the way it goes... in '05 Shaun got way too damn much credit when he had great blocking, but I do feel he got too much blame this year because of the fact that the run blocking was fricking terrible. Jones and Duckett would be terrible with the "blocking" the Seahawk RBs got this past season. It's a good thing we have improved.
Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
We obviously don't need a QB, but if we're going to pick the best player available and Brohm is available, why would we pass on him?
Brohm would be a horrible waste of a pick in the first or second round.
Popgun arm and a product of his system not to mention his lack of durability.
;^))
“I don't see Jones as a 25-carry feature back, but he can be an instant-impact player with 10 touches a game.”is fact then would it not be plausible that we have the following line up, Alexander, Jones, Morris, Weaver, Duckett. I'm only saying this because I was watching film on the 06 season and I think that Alexander may have been injury gun shy last year and a back that needs a line to really excel like 05.
we'll probably keep at least 5 RB/FBs, so i'm not sure we really need to cut anybody at this point. That being said, if we draft a RB we will have to cut somebody.
Kentwan Balmer very underrated. He's a stud, third rated DT in the draft. Huge upside and excellent against the run. It is a steal at 25th pick and perfect for our needs. Kind of like Richard Seymour, Late First Round Steal of the Century.
1st round - DT
Second round - LT,
Third round - RB or TE
Fourth round - LB
Fifth/Compensation round - S
Sixth round - RB or DE
seventh round - K or ?
DT, CB, TE, LB, DE, RB, K.....this is assuming we keep Hackett, who if the deal is structured the right way can stay after we get Tru signed....
Second - TE
Third - DE
Book it.
$6.775 million is a hell of a lot for a "red zone" back.
Alexander's ego would never let him retire now. He still thinks he's starting material and a great running back. He's about to find out he isn't, but getting released will only lead him to pursue a deal with some other team. That's what I meant about he's about to get a dose of reality.
What's with the posting of some other Seahawks site with every post, city_by_the_bay (does that mean you're a Journey fan)?
NFL teams talk about best player available for public relations purposes. But after the first 8 or 10 players picked on draft day, all NFL teams draft by need.
If teams really drafted BPA, then maybe Ruskell picks MLB, OLB, and S in rounds 1-3 right? You know that won't happen, even if those are the best players available. He needs TE, WR, D line, O line, K, RB, and he will draft for need.
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