Blount at ESPN predicts final 53

[hawknation2014]

I'd be REALLY surprised if we kept 7 LB's even with Bruce Irvin listed there. We usually keep 5 or 6. My guess is Pryor's cut or becomes a receiver. We keep another lineman and Jeffcoat makes the 53.

I love having seven linebackers because they make the best special teams players; plus, I like the idea of developing some of the young guns before Smith and Wright hit free agency. I would probably take Brock Coyle over Korey Toomer, Mike Morgan, and/or Heath Farwell for that reason.

Also, with Avril in his contract year, I think they find a way to keep both Mayowa and Jeffcoat.

 

[Chrome_Seahawk]

And: Garrett Scott on the PS?

I think that Blount sucks as much as the next guy, but to be fair, I heard that part of the reason that the Hawks may have signed and then released Garrett Scott is not just so that he could get his signing bonus, but also so that he could obtain medical insurance from the Seahawks, and then clear waivers. By doing that the Hawks medical staff can supervise his surgery and rehab and in a year he might be able to play again if they can repair the defect.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

I don't see Carpenter making it, frankly.

That would be a good guess based upon last season. Only problem with that is we are in a new season. Cable say said that Carpenter has trimmed off some weight and is playing like a totally different person. My guess is he 'makes it.'

 

[hawknation2014]

Carpenter is likely to start once again at Left Guard. Alvin Bailey is needed at LT in case Okung gets hurt again, and Bailey is the better option in the jumbo packages because of his quick feet. Carpenter is entering his third year as a starter, he's reportedly in the best shape of his life, and Carroll and Cable are eager to prove they were not wrong for taking him so high. Not worth cutting a starter at Left Guard to save less than $1.5 million.

 

[Tech Worlds]

Carpenter is likely to start once again at Left Guard. Alvin Bailey is needed at LT in case Okung gets hurt again, and Bailey is the better option in the jumbo packages because of his quick feet. Carpenter is entering his third year as a starter, he's reportedly in the best shape of his life, and Carroll and Cable are eager to prove they were not wrong for taking him so high. Not worth cutting a starter at Left Guard to save less than $1.5 million.

Carroll and Cable will not keep Carpenter around to prove they were not wrong in drafting him.

The best dudes will make the team. Period.

Now I do expect Carpenter to make it this year but it won't be to stroke Pete's or Cable's ego.

 

[hawknation2014]

Now I do expect Carpenter to make it this year but it won't be to stroke Pete's or Cable's ego.

That's a good story, but I can't say I totally agree. I think there is some Confirmation Bias because if the team had not "invested" so highly in Carpenter, it's unlikely he would be entering his third year as the starter. He was the worst run blocker on the team last year. So wanting the "investment" to pay its expected dividends is likely to continue to play some role this year. The other reasons are his experience, as a result of the "investment", and needing Alvin Bailey to take reps at LT.

Like it or not, taking a player that high in the draft leads to an "investment" in the development of that player. Do you honestly think Carpenter is a better long-term option at Left Guard than Bailey? I don't; in a perfect world, Bailey or another more talented player would be at that spot.

On a related note, do you think they would have moved K.J. Wright to WLB if they were not determined to shoehorn Bruce Irvin into a starting role at SLB? Irvin was one of the Top 5 least productive OLBs in the NFL last season in terms of tackle percentage, and we saw a drop off in production at that spot with Irvin as the starter there. IMO, the coaches were determined to see their investment in Irvin yield a return as a starter. Was Irvin a better option at SLB than Wright? Was Irvin a more productive option at OLB than Malcolm Smith? Or was there yet another desire to confirm the "investment"? My opinion in the latter.