Contingency plan: trading for premium RB?

Seeing as our GM John Schneider... is stuck pondering this dilemna...

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If Marshawn retires...what are the Hawks contingency plans at RB?

I seriously doubt we'll be able to draft Gordon or Gurley at 31. Would we be satisfied with any of the 2nd tier guys? RB by committee? Or should the Hawks consider trading up for a premier back. Or should we go the old veteran free agent route? What is the going rate for a premium RB like Adrian Peterson? Would they consider trading him to Seattle. Or should we wait for Demarco Murray or Darren McFadden to come onto the free agent market? Too many questions, I don't envy JS at all.

We have Turin and Michael. If they pick up a rb in the 2nd or 3rd we would have plenty of talent to work with. If Lynch stays I am curious if we still draft a RB and if we do do we trade C Mike or Turb?

If Lynch goes I wouldn't mind us taking a look at Doug Martin, should be had for little. Has the athleticism of Michael but a better head and only just turned 26. The problem is he hasn't done much recently and will command $2m next season, but he's been in a bad situation down in Tampa. Think he's got plenty more to offer.

What will be, will be.

The team has several not too shabby RBs here in Turbin and Michael. Naturally of course neither are Marshawn Lynch but who is? My bet is Lynch is back for at least another season or two and this is all so much handwringing. Somehow I'd doubt the team would bring in an outsider vet player if ML decided to retire when a cheaper, and likely superior option might be available to them in the draft and the team has some good options already here. However it's hard to know but I don't think JS would trade away the draft capital to acquire a RB that would need to be paid with a big contract. Early yet.

jake206":2o10lucv said:

Seeing as our GM John Schneider... is stuck pondering this dilemna...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/568445849698770944[/tweet]

If Marshawn retires...what are the Hawks contingency plans at RB?

I seriously doubt we'll be able to draft Gordon or Gurley at 31. Would we be satisfied with any of the 2nd tier guys? RB by committee? Or should the Hawks consider trading up for a premier back. Or should we go the old veteran free agent route? What is the going rate for a premium RB like Adrian Peterson? Would they consider trading him to Seattle. Or should we wait for Demarco Murray or Darren McFadden to come onto the free agent market? Too many questions, I don't envy JS at all.

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I think the 2nd tier guys + Michael and Turbin would be the answer, honestly.

I think the FA route is completely, utterly useless.

When Marshawn ws first acquired, yes, we desperately needed a running back. Right now, regardless of what 'Shawn does, we are not desperate. Trading for a running back now would be kind of silly and a waste of valuable resources.

I supsect we'll draft an RB, perhaps early in the draft, depending on what Marshawn says and does. If he does nothing between now and the draft, I would not be surprised if we got one 1st/2d day. If Lynch says yes and signs, it's more likely they'll wait until 2d/3d day. We have a decent number of picks this year, so some wheeling and dealing could be done to get a guy Pete really likes.

I would draft a RB (a good year to do so) regardless of what Lynch is doing. No doubt it would likely be a drop off if Lynch retired but we also don't know what Turbin and Michael can do with a real workload of carries.

We will not trade for a RB. Remember how long it took for Shawn to be comfortable in the new system? Turbin and Michael are both very talented backs, and should Lynch somehow decide he's retired (SPOILER ALERT: HE WON'T) then I'd be very excited to see what those 2 have to offer with more opportunity.

Schneider has gone on record several times saying how good this draft is for RBs. Now I wouldn't rule anything out, because this team is constantly doing the unexpected. But as of right now, I'd say it's doubtful unless they can get AP for a decent price.

volsunghawk":23kbko6n said:

I think the FA route is completely, utterly useless.

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Yep, trading for or signing big money FA RBs just doesn't make any sense. There's too much talent that comes cheap enough at the position these days for that to make any sense.

That's true even before we get to the cold hard reality of the salary cap, which I think the ramifications of some Hawks fans are (completely reasonably) still a little aloof too. For big FA acquisitions -and why we're talking maybe one of them, if any going forward - the problem isn't 2015, it's 2016, 17, 18. Fitting in a FA under the 2015 cap just isn't the way to look at FA additions.

All in on Todd Gurley, regardless of Lynch's plans.

You don't pass on generational, transcendent players. Gurley is Eric Dickerson II. In the distant future, Fans across NFL nation will be blogging "We passed on Gurley and drafted this bum instead." Seattle must move up to ensure they lock him in.

I personally believe the Cowboys are eyeing him and the reason they are hedging on Murray. Jerry Jones' advisors will not be so adamant in talking him out of Gurley as they were with Johnny Football. They know how good Gurley is. He would be cheaper and better than Murray and allow them to divert money elsewhere. In other words, I believe Seattle has to move up ahead of Dallas to ensure snagging Gurley.

cacksman":3fs04oof said:

We will not trade for a RB. Remember how long it took for Shawn to be comfortable in the new system? Turbin and Michael are both very talented backs, and should Lynch somehow decide he's retired (SPOILER ALERT: HE WON'T) then I'd be very excited to see what those 2 have to offer with more opportunity.

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Can't say I do.
sporadic playing time the first year and then 1K rusher per year afterwards.

Mick063":5kqxah6m said:

All in on Todd Gurley, regardless of Lynch's plans.

You don't pass on generational, transcendent players. Gurley is Eric Dickerson II. In the distant future, Fans across NFL nation will be blogging "We passed on Gurley and drafted this bum instead." Seattle must move up to ensure they lock him in.

I personally believe the Cowboys are eyeing him and the reason they are hedging on Murray. Jerry Jones' advisors will not be so adamant in talking him out of Gurley as they were with Johnny Football. They know how good Gurley is. He would be cheaper and better than Murray and allow them to divert money elsewhere. In other words, I believe Seattle has to move up ahead of Dallas to ensure snagging Gurley.

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And yet, JS is already talking about moving down.. (out of the 1st round), so I doubt that will happen.

Bobblehead":ils598xi said:

cacksman":ils598xi said:

We will not trade for a RB. Remember how long it took for Shawn to be comfortable in the new system? Turbin and Michael are both very talented backs, and should Lynch somehow decide he's retired (SPOILER ALERT: HE WON'T) then I'd be very excited to see what those 2 have to offer with more opportunity.

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Can't say I do.
sporadic playing time the first year and then 1K rusher per year afterwards.

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Let me refresh your memory.
First year he was traded: 12 games played for SEA, 11 games started. 3.5 ypc.

Bobblehead":1as5vpdc said:

Mick063":1as5vpdc said:

All in on Todd Gurley, regardless of Lynch's plans.

You don't pass on generational, transcendent players. Gurley is Eric Dickerson II. In the distant future, Fans across NFL nation will be blogging "We passed on Gurley and drafted this bum instead." Seattle must move up to ensure they lock him in.

I personally believe the Cowboys are eyeing him and the reason they are hedging on Murray. Jerry Jones' advisors will not be so adamant in talking him out of Gurley as they were with Johnny Football. They know how good Gurley is. He would be cheaper and better than Murray and allow them to divert money elsewhere. In other words, I believe Seattle has to move up ahead of Dallas to ensure snagging Gurley.

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And yet, JS is already talking about moving down.. (out of the 1st round), so I doubt that will happen.

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If you watch the interview, JS is clearly making a joke about how valuable the pick is and everyone could see that. He wouldn't seriously come out and say that he's shopping the pick, because that makes it less valuable.

The team will have 11 picks, which is more than they've ever started with. I believe this year that JS is just as likely to trade up as trade down, since finishing a draft with 13 picks would really not make any sense.

Mick063":rns7yt9i said:

All in on Todd Gurley, regardless of Lynch's plans.

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Risky though coming off an ACL injury.

But yes, I can't see a trade...........too many other positions of need we need to address in this draft to trade away picks for a RB.

No Lynch, then it'll be Michael, Turbin and 2nd or 3rd round RB.

I'm not sure on Gurley being a "transcendent talent." I see a guy with significant weaknesses at the next level.

He's big, but runs upright, doesn't have a lot of balance in his base, and leaves his feet way too way.

He's a long strider with build up speed, but I don't see quick feet, great cutback ability, or a second gear.

Most of his highlights come off sweeps and swing passes. I don't see a lot of power up the middle, and I see a lot of ankle tackles.

I think Gurley is a lot like Robert Turbin. He has a body that makes you think POWER, but a style that is built more on speed.

I'm still working on some of the backs, but I'd currently put Gurley 3rd on my list, and that is without consideration for the ACL.

cacksman":zhvzpmzo said:

Bobblehead":zhvzpmzo said:

cacksman":zhvzpmzo said:

We will not trade for a RB. Remember how long it took for Shawn to be comfortable in the new system? Turbin and Michael are both very talented backs, and should Lynch somehow decide he's retired (SPOILER ALERT: HE WON'T) then I'd be very excited to see what those 2 have to offer with more opportunity.

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Can't say I do.
sporadic playing time the first year and then 1K rusher per year afterwards.

Click to expand...

Let me refresh your memory.
First year he was traded: 12 games played for SEA, 11 games started. 3.5 ypc.

Click to expand...

Yes, that maybe true, I just have to give him a pass on it.
He came in a quarter way into a season with a new coach, a lousy team and a less than qb.
If you want to hold that against him, yeah, then it took him a long time, 12 games to adjust to a team that was adjusting and continued to readjust through the 11 season.

I hope Lynch plays another 4 awesome years in Seattle, but if he does retire I am very excited and optimistic about Michael. He really hasn't had a chance to play much but I think he could be a stud RB for us.

Kind of like when Shawn Alexander sat behind Ricky Watters for a year before getting his chance.

Mick063":581i509w said:

All in on Todd Gurley, regardless of Lynch's plans.

You don't pass on generational, transcendent players. Gurley is Eric Dickerson II. In the distant future, Fans across NFL nation will be blogging "We passed on Gurley and drafted this bum instead." Seattle must move up to ensure they lock him in.

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Perhaps, but before the 2012 draft the exact same argument was made hundreds of times over about Trent Richardson.

The question was if Richardson was the surest thing at the position since Adrian Peterson in 2007, or since before Adrian Peterson.