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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Here are some position battles to keep an eye on heading into Friday’s game at Minnesota
Who shines at receiver: Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne and Jordan Kent have all made plays at times during training camp. But the first to make a play in preseason action will take the lead in this tight competition at receiver. Obomanu looked good in practice this past week, but Taylor’s explosiveness after the catch and Kent’s ability to stretch a defense also make them desirable picks to fill in until Deion Branch is ready. Payne probably will not play due to cracked ribs.
Another big game for Forsett? Rookie Justin Forsett was one of the bright spots in the Seahawks scrimmage last week, but will he respond again with a big performance? We’ll see. Forsett brings a different dimension to Seattle’s offense with his elusiveness, but more than likely he’s headed to the practice squad at the end of the preseason.
Look for Forsett and T.J. Duckett to get a lot of carries again, as Julius Jones and Maurice Morris will probably see limited action. Folks thinking Morris is vulnerable should squash those thoughts. Morris knows the offense the best out of any of the running backs, and is a favorite of Holmgren. Mo is not going anywhere.
Kicking game in the limelight: Punter Reggie Hodges has been kicking well of late. Now Seattle will see how he performs in game action. Ryan Plackemeier should be back next week, and is probably going to be the guy. But he’ll have to work for it the way Hodges is performing right now.
The contest at kicker also begins in earnest on Friday between veteran Olindo Mare and rookie Brandon Coutu. Both have been pretty consistent in camp, but one of them should step ahead in Friday’s game against the Vikings.
Pork Chop on the bubble? The reoccurring injuries may have started to catch up to Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack. Kyle Williams, an undrafted free agent signed by Seattle who spent his first season on the team’s practice squad, has looked OK so far during camp. Womack offers versatility with his ability to play guard and tackle. But Williams, unlike Womack, is healthy. It will also be interesting to see how centers Steve Vallos and Ben Claxton perform with starter Chris Spencer out.
Competition at D-line: A strong performance by rookie Lawrence Jackson could vault him into the conversation as a starter over Darryl Tapp. Jackson is believed to be stronger against the run than Tapp, and might make more sense as a starter on run downs. Jackson could then shift to defensive tackle and Tapp could come in and play defensive end during passing situations. And don’t forget about Baraka Atkins, who also has had a solid camp. Howard Green also will get a chance to shine with guys like Red Bryant and Larry Tripplett out with injuries.
Wallace-Adams debate: University of Washington product C.J. Wallace has played well so far in camp, but Michigan's Jamar Adams also has made an impact. Adams has a bigger frame than Wallace and is two inches taller. Wallace surprised some Seahawks’ observers by making the team last year as an undrafted free agent, and Adams is trying to do the same thing this season.
COMMENTS:
Seahawks and democracy rock!
My prediction is he (Wallace) will be the starting QB for San Fran next year for the new team president, Mike Holmgren.
I am really interested to see how Adams vs. Wallace plays out.
As for height from a safety, why is it so important? Bob Sanders and Troy Polamalu, arguably the two best safeties in the NFL are both under six feet tall. Why is an advantage to be taller as a safety? I understand a corner, who contests balls on every play, but a safety does it less frequently and usually has a running start to jump that is superior to the intended receiver. Help me with that one.
Is it just me or does Baraka Atkins never stand out to me? Hopefully that changes this year.
Eric, I agree with you, Mo is going nowhere. Remember gang, he is also a very willing blocker. How does Forsett do at picking up the blitz?
WilliamBryan- I'm highly confident Holmgren will not work for the 9ers next year. He is taking a year off. If Holmy has shown us one thing during his time here- it is that he does not like to deceive the fans. He'll take a year off then consider new challenges. Hopefully he'll have enough class to leave the NFC West.
williambryan - do you really consider Wallace to be the calibre of a starting QB in the NFL? Sure, he has great athletic ability but, in my opinion, he hasn't proven that he can be an 'on-field general', his decision-making is less than satisfactory and he lacks the physical attributes [in particular, height] typically associated with prototypical QBs. Let's put it this way - if Hass gets injured, I won't be saying "hey, we're alright, we've got Seneca Wallace..."
NickLicatasucks - agree with your opinion/hope for Vallos. Out of a crisis can come an opportunity... the opportunity is there for somebody on the team to step up and show that they can play center. Vallos has his shot now. As regards the issue of height for a safety, it's not so much that it's a requirement to play the position, but moreso that it's an advantage - i.e. covering the TE, run-support for the linebackers, deep cover for the corners, etc. Generally, just better to be taller, but not an absolute necessity.
As for Maurice Morris, I'm not his greatest fan... in my opinion, he has had opportunities to impress with Alexander suffering from injury for the last couple of seasons, and he has proven that he's not capable of carrying the load on a consistent basis. Sure, he knows the offense, but should that be the deciding factor in keeping him on the roster over Forsett or even Schmitt [if the team decided that Duckett could cover at FB]?
All as I can say is Maurice Morris has had bushels full of opportunities and time and time again he's always shown he's a good backup or a 3rd down back. A certain game in Chicago when he started for Alexander comes to mind.
You've jumbled the discussions regarding the appropriate height of a Safety and whether Seneca is an NFL starter. As soon as SW either grows 4 inches or adds some lifts to his cleats he may make it as an NFL starter - or maybe his style requires pit bulls to chase (or be chased by) to succeed.
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