Dwain Price from the Star Telegram is reporting that Mike Leach has told Michael Crabtree to stay with the Red Raiders for another year. Leach argues that another year at Texas Tech will make him a more polished prospect.Probably wishful thinking on Leach's behalf. Crabtree's stock will never be higher as a double Biletnikoff winner and a double All-American. The talented receiver is seen as a shoe in to be a top 10 pick. With Graham Harrell leaving school and very little else for Crabtree or the Raiders to achieve next year it's almost a certainty that he will head for the draft.
It was reported here that Crabtree said he would not consider the NFL in 2009. The quotes seemed a little distant at the time and he has since admitted here that he had 'nothing to prove' after winning a second Biletnikoff.
Will Crabtree declare? He has until the 15th January to make that decision.
17 comments:
Hey Rob - not sure if you saw it but Eric Williams at the Seahawks Insider Blog gave your site a mention today. Great work.
Thanks for raising my attention to this - I wasn't aware. It's a real honour to have the blog mentioned on the TNT site because they, along with other sites such as Seahawk Addicts, are the inspiration I've used to create this. Thanks to Eric Williams for the mention - much appreciated.
Rob, another feather in your blogging cap as Danny O'Neil also mentioned you in his Seahawks Blog at the Seattle Times.
Hopefully he stays in school so the Hawks don't get tempted to go WR with our first round pick. What good is a receiver if the QB never has time to throw him the ball. We need to rebuild our OL first and foremost, Big Walt ain't gettin' any younger, and Matt had no time to throw all year. Skill players get all the press, but football is still won or lost in the trenches. Our receivers were nothing special in '05, but our line was the best in the league...please don't mess this up Ruskell.
The argument to counter that Grant, would be that Matt Hasselbeck reached a pro-bowl and put up career high numbers in 2007 behind a very similar line to the one we have now. In '07 the line was Jones, Sims, Spencer, Gray, Locklear. Pass protection that year was very good and enabled Matt to put in the best year statistically of his life.
In 08' Wahle replaced Sims (upgrade) and a Womack/Willis combo replaced Gray (upgrade). The line play over the last three weeks with no starters has been actually above average. The Seahawks have an excellent line coach in Mike Solari and there's no reason why the Hawks can't put together good protection in 2009.
The argument for me in taking a tackle is based on long term investment in a key position. It's not necessarilly going to provide an immediate improvement as opposed to bringing in a guy who can be a franchise staple for the next 10 years. If the Hawks take a tackle they can use time to prepare him for the pro game and he will eventually replace big Walt.
Of course this is only my opinion. I personally believe it will be a great class for tackles this year and the Hawks could take advantage. But at the same time, I'm a big fan of Michael Crabtree. I would have no worries drafting him and putting him in as a day one starter. I think he is as close to a sure thing as you will get in 2009, but ultimately that will only be tested if he declares.
What are the chances of the Hawks taking Curry if Hill were to leave as a FA? According to Mayock on NFL.com this guy sounds like an absolute beast.
Overall, I agree with your assessment on Crabtree Rob.It just scares me how iffy 1st round wideouts have been in the NFL and I do not want us to blow are 4th pick on just that a great college player.
I'm hoping that the Seahawks go out there and get Crabtree with that 4th overall pick, and then either go after Haynesworth or draft DT with our 2nd round pick. Although it's highly unlikely that we will be able to land Haynesworth, he's worth a try. With a big DT, you just stick him into your D-line and watch the DEF get better. That presence right in the middle will wreck havoc and would make our CBs be more effective since the opposing QBs would have less time to throw the ball.
Everyone is talking about drafting OL right now, but I do not think that is one of our most pressing needs. Walter Jones isnt getting any younger, but if you have been watching the past couple of weeks our O-Line has been terrific even with 5 backup O-Linemen! With everyone being healthy next year, I think our O-Line will be almost as good as in 2005. The only big difference was that now we dont have Steve Hutchinson at LG, but Mike Wahle is still a very good O-Lineman. People were ripping him for his costly penalties, but the facts are the facts, he was still an upgrade at the LG position. Crabtree, welcome to Seattle =D
Battenrouge, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't draft Curry in the scenario you propose. He won the Butkus award this year which is no mean feat considering the other LB's in consideration. He is considered to be an excellent prospect who can have the same kind of impact as Jared Mayo as a rookie.
Fourth overall might be a bit high for him though and the franchise might feel that there are better options on the board at that point. If they managed to trade down a bit, similar to New England in 2008, Curry is a more likely option.
Louis, I agree with your assesment of a need for defensive line help. Unlike some I expect Kerney to be back in 2009 making plays. I also expect to see a development of Lawrence Jackson and Brandon Mebane has very little left to prove, he's a bona fide NFL starter.
But the whole line would get a huge boost by having a dominant big body in the middle to partner him. Glenn Dorsey would have been on the board when the 4th pick came about last year and it's a shame such a prospect isn't around in 2009.
One thing to consider about Curry is that there are only so many plays a linebacker can make. With Lofa and Peterson in the fold, Curry is most likely less of an impact player for Seattle than he would be for a team more desperate at linebacker. He's a top notch OLB, but Seattle already has two top linebackers and there are only so many tackles to go around.
Also, don't be too sad about DT... I was on the Dorsey hype-train last year, but it occurred to me that, with Seattle running this rotation, is a player who'll be on the field for 30-40 plays a game really worth a top-4 pick and 7 million a year?
Do you think we could trade our 4th pick for Glenn Dorsey? Im guessing probably not, but im not sure.
Also, i was thinking we could trade, say, our 3rd and 4th round pick for a late 1st round pick so we could get B.J. Raji. Im not sure if a 3rd and 4th round pick is enough for a late 1st round pick, but if it is, I think it would be worth is to get a good proven pick instead of some late questionable picks in the later rounds.
Also, how is Walter Jone's rehab going? Some people are saying he's not coming back, while others say that it's no big deal, so I'm really not sure what his status is. I sure hope he'll be back in good form next year though so we won't draft a OT and instead draft Michael Crabtree.
Also, if you listened to 950KJR yesterday, they talked with Leroy Hill and when asked about where he thought he would be next year, Hill said that he wants to be back in Seattle and that he has made that known to the front office. I think that's a good sign and that we will probably be able to sign him, or at least put the franchise tag on him, so I hope we don't "waste" our 4th pick for Curry.
I think it's highly unlikely either Seattle or Kansas would be interested in a trade involving Dorsey and our first round pick. Kyle makes a good point, the 'Hawks use a lot of rotation at DT and it'd be an expensive addition to that system having a top 5 pick subbing in and out.
Louis, I think it's a 'wait and see' situation with Walter Jones. The team are making the noises that suggest he will be fine, but they did the same with Hasselbeck regarding his back and it turned into a big problem. If Jones cant make a full recovery or is even forced to retire, offensive tackle becomes an instant need unless the team are confident of a Locklear/Willis tandem (assuming Willis re-signs).
Regarding your trade suggestion Louis, it's difficult to see it happening. I haven't got a trade sheet with me but the thought of a team in the late first trading away a first rounder for a 3rd and a 4th just seems unrealistic. I think Seattle are well placed to snap up a 'bargain' in the second round because we pick so early. I anticipate a first rounder spent on offense and that early second on defense, where there should be good value for the Hawks.
Regarding Leroy Hill, it's patently obvious he is out to get the best contract he can find. I'm sure he would like to stay in Seattle, but not at the expense of a bigger contract. He's doing the same thing Trufant did last year and in the end Tim Ruskell has to decide whether he allows Hill to hit free agency or if he uses the franchise tag. I find it hard to see a situation Ruskell allows one of his 'draft steals' to slip through the net. It's his counter debate to those who say first rounders like Chris Spencer and Kelly Jennings haven't worked out entirely as planned. I envisage Hill being on the roster next year but at an expensive cost which will stop Seattle being too involved in free agency.
Oh, I just wanted to add: How classless is it for Leach to tell Crabtree he should come back. Were I a recruit, that'd set off a big alarm in my head. Either Leach doesn't understand that there are probably, at most, only 3 spots higher Crabtree could go next year, or he doesn't care about what is best for Michael.
I know some coaches will tell a player, "okay, I'd love for you to stay, but you should go."... The coach of the UConn Huskies said just that to Donald Brown, who ironically chose to stay. But Crabtree would have to screw up big time to be taken lower than 5th this draft, whereas next year he'd really be playing with fire.
Rob - Thanks for answering all my questions, but one of your answers triggers another question from me. You said that by signing Hill, the Seahawks wont be able to be very active in free agency, but why? I heard that our salary ranks near the middle out of all the NFL teams, and Paul Allen is super rich, so why would money be an issue? Thanks
I think the reason is Louis, Seattle are probably in the middle-lower end of the NFL in cap space. A lot of the veterans on this team will earn a lot in 2009. I cant remember exact figures, but I read somewhere that Kerney will make an absolute bomb this year. The same goes for guys like Hasselbeck, Peterson. They re-signed Tatupu and Trufant to big contracts last year. Essentially we are carrying a lot of big contracts. If we sign Hill it will cost money and I would guess, without knowing cap numbers, it would mean we cant afford to splash out the big bucks. They will mix things up like they did last year, but I dont envisage the kind of deals that brought Kerney, Grant and Peterson to this team.
the bad breath report -
thedietsolutionprogram -
the diet solution program -
tonsil stones remedies -
top secret magic code -
truth about abs -
turbulence training -
turn your photos into cash -
vincedelmontefitness -
vince del monte fitness -
warp speed fat loss -
wedding speech 4u -
win clear -
xbox 360 red light fix -
xp repair pro -
1st promotion -
3 redlight fix -
500 love making tips -
acid alkaline diet -
advanced defrag -
anti spyware -
anti spyware bot -
art of approaching -
banish rosacea -
blog lock down -
brad yates -
building a chicken coop -
burnthefat -
burn the fat -
carb rotation diet -
combat the fat -
conversationalhypnosis -
conversational hypnosis -
copy n profit -
mafia war secrets -
malware bot -
master cleanse secrets -
maternityacupressure -
maternity acupressure -
maximum paid surveys -
meet your sweet -
mobile tv pro -
musclegainingsecrets -
muscle gaining secrets -
my dish biz -
one minute cure -
paid surveys online -
panic away -
pc tv 4 me -
pdf creator -
perfect optimizer -
pick the gender of your baby -
plr wholesaler -
private niche empire -
project quick cash -
public records pro -
pull your ex back -
quick article pro -
quit smoking today -
reality creation secrets -
reg clean -
regi cleanse -
registry easy -
registry fix -
registry winner -
reg sweep -
reg tool -
reverse mobile -
forex trading machine -
forex trading made ez -
get your exgirlfriend back -
google snatch -
governmentregistry -
government registry -
grow taller 4 idiots -
guy gets girl -
hcg recipes -
homemadeenergy -
home made energy -
how to break 80 -
hyper vre -
instant domain cash -
i software tv -
jamo rama acoustic -
linden method -
lose the back pain -
magni work -
maternityacupressure -
maternity acupressure -
musclegainingsecrets -
muscle gaining secrets -
negative calorie diet -
one minute cure -
one week marketing -
only 4 gamers -
paid surveys online -
panic away -
pc on point -
pc tv 4 me -
perfect optimizer -
phone number scan -
pick the gender of your bady -
Post a Comment