This may seem strange, but what the heck. I really like Frank Clark and think he will be hungry this season, but for the Seahawks to reach the playoffs this year who needs to have a bigger season?:

1 - Frank Clark
2 - Barking Mingo

Before you brush this off as crazy, I ask you to really think about it. I think we would all agree Clark should have a better year, especially given his time in the system and athletic freakiness.

Frankly, I'd be mildly surprised if Mingo makes the team.

They're both going to play great, but I wouldn't really compare them. Clark is going to have a double digit sack season. He's going to play more reps than he ever has before. We are counting on him to be our primary pass rusher, in addition to Green, Jordan, Reed, Smith, Johnson, and perhaps Jackson.

Mingo is a player we have been missing at SLB since Irvin departed. He is amazing in coverage, excellent at holding the edge, and alright as a pass rusher when he has a free lane. If he ends up with only three sacks as a LEO pass rusher, he could still have a great year as a SLB.

Having a SLB who is as good an athlete as Mingo is going to make the defense more physical than it has been. Because he is so long and active in pass coverage, we may not have to rely as much on nickel defense. Not only does this give us a more physical box defender against the run, it should also make us better against screens and the quick passing game, which has caused us some problems in the last couple seasons.

Tical21 wrote:Frankly, I'd be mildly surprised if Mingo makes the team.

Really? Even given the contract they gave him?

adeltaY wrote:

Tical21 wrote:Frankly, I'd be mildly surprised if Mingo makes the team.

Really? Even given the contract they gave him?

pretty sure it's a dressed-up one year deal. he played so poorly that he was taken out of the rotation on two of the worst defenses in the NFL. He's just shown nothing that suggests he can make plays at this level.

hawknation2018 wrote:They're both going to play great, but I wouldn't really compare them. Clark is going to have a double digit sack season. He's going to play more reps than he ever has before. We are counting on him to be our primary pass rusher, in addition to Green, Jordan, Reed, Smith, Johnson, and perhaps Jackson.

Mingo is a player we have been missing at SLB since Irvin departed. He is amazing in coverage, excellent at holding the edge, and alright as a pass rusher when he has a free lane. If he ends up with only three sacks as a LEO pass rusher, he could still have a great year as a SLB.

Having a SLB who is as good an athlete as Mingo is going to make the defense more physical than it has been. Because he is so long and active in pass coverage, we may not have to rely as much on nickel defense. Not only does this give us a more physical box defender against the run, it should also make us better against screens and the quick passing game, which has caused us some problems in the last couple seasons.

Is Frank going to get more snaps this year than last year? I don't think more snaps is a good thing for him. He takes far too many off as it is.

Mingo is an average player at best. Anything we get from him will be a bonus. Clark will have far better numbers.

Clark doesn't have Bennett, Avril, and Richardson now. He is going to be the target of extra attention from offenses, because FRANKly ... we don't have any other bona fide pass rushers that strike fear.

Curious to see how Frank responds as the Alpha dog.

Nobody thought much of Cliff Avril when he was added, and certainly Chris Clemons was thought to be a nobody pick up by the team. Maybe Mingo will not amount to anything in Pete’s schemes but until I see him play here in the role Pete sees for him I’m not going to write him off, he is, if nothing, a superb athlete.

To answer the thread’s question I’d say Clark will have a bigger season and hopefully may find himself playing in the Pro Bowl, Mingo could potentially give the team that Bruce Irvin type presence from the SOLB, something missing after Irvin left. Between the others some here are sleeping on them. I’m expecting big things from Dion Jordan and Marcus Smith who hopefully both will be healthy at last. Both had moments last season where they flashed significant ability. If Clark gets help from Green, Jordan, Smith or even a present unknown Clark won’t be as easy to key on by opposing teams.

The team saw something in both Rasheem Green and in Jacob Martin to draft them and it will be interesting to see if they were right. Here we’ve only been discussing the edge pressure and several of the inside guys could also be a surprise.

I remain curious about the depth with the DLine, lots of unknowns but lots of potential. They could all be bums, or one or more of them may prove to be pretty darn good.

We signed Avril coming off a season with 9.5 sacks and 11 the year prior. I think everyone expected big things out of him. Bennett too.

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. Clark needs to limit his reps or he isn't as effective. Mingo could potentially be the best replacement since Irving at Sam. We won't know until several weeks into the season.

I feel like Sam LB has kept us back in the past few years. We need a pass rush, and we need to stop the run better.

Tical21 wrote:

hawknation2018 wrote:They're both going to play great, but I wouldn't really compare them. Clark is going to have a double digit sack season. He's going to play more reps than he ever has before. We are counting on him to be our primary pass rusher, in addition to Green, Jordan, Reed, Smith, Johnson, and perhaps Jackson.

Mingo is a player we have been missing at SLB since Irvin departed. He is amazing in coverage, excellent at holding the edge, and alright as a pass rusher when he has a free lane. If he ends up with only three sacks as a LEO pass rusher, he could still have a great year as a SLB.

Having a SLB who is as good an athlete as Mingo is going to make the defense more physical than it has been. Because he is so long and active in pass coverage, we may not have to rely as much on nickel defense. Not only does this give us a more physical box defender against the run, it should also make us better against screens and the quick passing game, which has caused us some problems in the last couple seasons.

Is Frank going to get more snaps this year than last year? I don't think more snaps is a good thing for him. He takes far too many off as it is.

When I think of the phrase "takes plays off," I think of lack of effort. It's never an effort question for Clark. He is always active against the run. Great athlete, great motor. He disappears at times against the better offensive tackles because he hasn't diversified his pass rushing moves. He becomes predictable at times and relies too much on the bull rush. Hopefully he will improve his hand fighting.

The Hawks were Avril's only significant suitor that offseason which was strange considering his two solid seasons prior. I had high hope for him but that view wasn't widely held around the league. The Hawks got him for a very team friendly contract as a result, as they did with Bennett.

There is little doubt that the loss of Avril in particular and Bennett will require players to step forward and assume their roles, which may not be easy.

Nobody gave Avril much thought because he had Suh eating up blockers for him.

Likely so, and yet Avril was such a solid and steady team player.

nwHawk wrote:This may seem strange, but what the heck. I really like Frank Clark and think he will be hungry this season, but for the Seahawks to reach the playoffs this year who needs to have a bigger season?:

1 - Frank Clark
2 - Barking Mingo

Before you brush this off as crazy, I ask you to really think about it. I think we would all agree Clark should have a better year, especially given his time in the system and athletic freakiness.

Barking Mingo? Autocorrect doing its thing? Hilarious. Or maybe that’s how he plays. Anyone remember that old LT clip with him saying they need to play like a bunch of crazed dogs? Maybe we have that in Barking Mingo!!

Mingo is likely a camp body. So no doubt Clark.

LOL. Mingo will be the starter at SLB. He has $3.2 million guaranteed.

Cyrus12 wrote:Mingo is likely a camp body. So no doubt Clark.

Aha, just about everyone sucks on this year’s team. Yep, no need to watch. Clearly the FOis stupid, the team is screwed.

This constant negativity is tedious.



C’mon man, the FO is not doing too bad. Mingo was an early draft pick for some reasons which we will see this coming season, he can be very quick off the snap and is reportedly strong in coverage. He has been injured a lot a missed critical time that has delayed his development, he could just be a diamond rescued from the rough.

He was signed for two seasons, so he’s not a camp body unless he sucks as badly as you seem to think he will.

I guess I remember it different than most. I was just about to enter a car wash in Scottsdale when I heard the news on the radio. I immediately called my buddy up in WA and the direct quote was "Holy **** we just signed Bennett too!." This would have been a day after the Avril signing. I had big expectations for both.

49er fans tried to troll us shortly after claiming that JS got fleeced signing MB because he had a rotator cuff issue and Cliff Avril couldn't set an edge

I was also excited by the signing of both players and astonished at the reasonable contracts both signed. Your recollection is correct as far as a league wise perception of both guys though. Both were not well regarded for different reasons and both were solid signings, actually over the top excellent signings. My earlier comment about Avril had absolutely nothing to say about his performance here, he was special and will be missed. So will Bennett.

Mingo is regarded as too light and not physical enough to regularly play 4-3 DE, and probably is best physically suited to play SOLB in Pete’s scheme.I think he could be a genuine happy surprise in our scheme b/c of his incredible athleticism.

oldhawkfan wrote:

nwHawk wrote:This may seem strange, but what the heck. I really like Frank Clark and think he will be hungry this season, but for the Seahawks to reach the playoffs this year who needs to have a bigger season?:

1 - Frank Clark
2 - Barking Mingo

Before you brush this off as crazy, I ask you to really think about it. I think we would all agree Clark should have a better year, especially given his time in the system and athletic freakiness.

Barking Mingo? Autocorrect doing its thing? Hilarious. Or maybe that’s how he plays. Anyone remember that old LT clip with him saying they need to play like a bunch of crazed dogs? Maybe we have that in Barking Mingo!!

Hoping he's got a dog in him, we need it. Some guys need time to get bigger, stronger and game smarter. Some need a proper scheme fit.

I wish Frank Clark would have stayed a DT in the mold of Geno Atkins. Oh course he would have needed to bulk up. He doesn't have the passing rushing technique to be a blind side pass rusher, which in we need. Put Clark as Avril's replacement and I think he's fine. Expecting 13 sacks, I'm not sold, yet. But I want to believe.

Still, if Mingo is solid In think this defense will be better than last year. Norton knows how to push backers.

Who will have a better year, The FB, or the RB?

Mingo is the FB of the Defense. He isn't going to get the passrushing reps to come anywhere close to Clark.

Within Mingo's niche role he will play very well though.

jammerhawk wrote:C’mon man, the FO is not doing too bad. Mingo was an early draft pick for some reasons which we will see this coming season, he can be very quick off the snap and is reportedly strong in coverage. He has been injured a lot a missed critical time that has delayed his development, he could just be a diamond rescued from the rough.

He was signed for two seasons, so he’s not a camp body unless he sucks as badly as you seem to think he will.

Seattle will be his 4th team since 2013. He was signed because he was cheap and available. People dissing on the guy have legit reasons for doing so. Expecting anything more than just an average player here is wishful thinking. The Pats and Colts cast him away and we are paying more for him than they did. Hard to get excited about him.

Average is better than just a camp body and worthless.

Mingo was a 1st rounder and expected to be a dominant edge rusher, he isn't, and that is why he is considered a bust.

The Seahawks are not asking him to do that, he will play Sam. If you're telling me he is the starting Leo then yeah I would say he is going to be terrible, but that is not what they are asking him to do.

Again for those that only read what other idiots write, Pete takes a guy and plays him where his strength is not make him fit into a system that does not capitalize on what he can do best.

Think of Clemons.


Until we see how he is used we won't know how successful he will be here, Irvin was considered a big bust by the experts when we picked him but ended up being pretty impactive with how we used him.

Chris, I completely agree.

Mingo is not just a roster filler type or camp body player and is an extremely physically talented player who in college was a dominant edge rusher. As a pro however, he needs more sand in his shorts (he’s too skinny) to be an every down edge rusher. He has been used as such and that hasn’t worked with exceptional results consistent with his draft position. He is pretty capable in coverage due to his playing speed and athleticism, and a guy who still needs to be accounted for off the edge. Just not on every down, Pete sees him as a Bruce Irvin type SOLB. We’ll see if he can be a good fit for Pete’s D. I think he might be surprisingly better than some believe in that role.

If he can become close to Clemons the team will have something with this player.

chris98251 wrote:Again for those that only read what other idiots write, Pete takes a guy and plays him where his strength is not make him fit into a system that does not capitalize on what he can do best.

Think of Clemons.


Until we see how he is used we won't know how successful he will be here, Irvin was considered a big bust by the experts when we picked him but ended up being pretty impactive with how we used him.

Seems to me this is more of a Joeckel pick. There’s an erroneous assumption that because he was once picked in the first round he must be decent. Maybe he serves a purpose because of his niche but he not a game changer by any stretch.

Here’s an article on Mingo that repeats a lot of what has been said here by others.

https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/7/5/175 ... e-analysis