Chris Clemons

Anyone surprised that he isn't released yet? I thought the hammer would fall for him before it did for Red Bryant. Interesting he's still hasn't been cut. Especially considering that the Seahawks do have depth behind him in Avril, Irvin, Schofield, etc.

Not at all. Red was due a substantial Roster Bonus this month. This necessitated a quick release. From what I recall, Clemons doesn't have any such issue. Also, Bennett is still unsigned. All the speculation is that Clemons would be released to make room for Bennett's contract. I still hope we find a way to keep them both, but whether or not we do, Clemons is unlikely to be released before a deal is in place for Bennett or another pass rusher.

After seeing how good he looked in the super bowl, I wonder if the decision whether to release became much more difficult. He just looked amazing.

The one thing we fans tend to forget about Clemons is that he was coming off of injury. He actually missed some time early in the season because he wasn't all the way ready to be back.

The thing about ACL's is that it takes a year to get ALL the way back. I personally theorize that DE is even more than a lot of positions when it comes to an ACL; there is a tremendous amount of lateral pressure on your knees when you explode off the snap, run full bore at an OT, then lean into him to try to get the corner. That's a ton of lateral pressure on your knees and it takes time....not only for your knee to get all the way back, but for you to mentally trust it to be there.

We saw in the playoffs, against the better competition, that Clemons regained his form from last year. He's also the best LEO we have against the run. What I mean is, there are guys that can play LEO and play the run better than Clem, but they won't rush the passer as well. There are guys like Schofield and Mayowa who can probably rush the passer as well as Clem, or close to it, but won't play the run as well.

The other thing I've noticed is that the Seahawks want to be able to show their players that they get taken care of. Look at Miller as well as Clemons: they've both only ever done what was asked of them, and they got rewarded. We might not understand it, but Miller earns his contract in a lot of ways, not just catching the ball. Clem as well. Rice and Bryant didn't have good value for their contracts. I know it's a business, and I'm not saying Clemons won't get cut, but I think the Seahawks try to keep guys that have been rewarded as long as they can. What good is getting your contract that you've earned, only to get cut 2 years later when that salaray is inconvenient? Players will be more likely to take a more team friendly (yet fair) contract if they know they'll earn it all. I think the Hawks keep Clemons unless they absolutely can't. He still has value, he looks to be earning his contract, and the Hawks should have the cap space now.

CC looked like the CC of old in the Super Bowl.

His penetration and tipped pass on 4th down at the end of the second half was huge. He also had a sack and two forced fumbles in the game. If Malcolm Smith didn't get the MVP, then it should have gone to Clemons.

I agree with the others. He appeared to flash the dominance of old in the SB. I think there is also some questions about who his replacement would be. If they can swing it, I would love to have him back. Imagine a healthy Clemons on one side with Avril on the other. That's a QB sandwich waiting to happen.

I'm waiting to hear Seattle traded a later round pick to the Eagles for Vinny Curry and THEN releasing Clemons. If we had success in trades twice with the Eagles, I'd be extremely happy

I see the Hawks going after Jared Allen. Just do. Hopefully, Bennet can get done this week and then that deal will set the standard for a potential Allen deal. Allen wants a ring, and has something to prove as per his interviews this week.

I think the rest of our releases will come after acquisitions.

hawknation2014":3b263ll0 said:

CC looked like the CC of old in the Super Bowl.

His penetration and tipped pass on 4th down at the end of the second half was huge. He also had a sack and two forced fumbles in the game. If Malcolm Smith didn't get the MVP, then it should have gone to Clemons.

Click to expand...

Don't forget... Chris was matched up with a back-up LT in the SB.

Ryan Clady was on IR.

I expect the hammer to fall on Chris when Bennett gets re-signed... assuming that happens.

The Hawks are currently under the cap so they don't need to cut anybody else by next Tuesday, March 11th.

I may be wrong but we know the Seahawks are a very smart organization. They aren't going to jump the gun and leave themselves vurnerable.

Let's say we release Chris Clemons but couldn't sign Michael Bennett. Now you're down two quality pass-rushers.

I think Red Bryant is a different kind of release, you just can't pay a player $7-8 mil to play 45% of the snaps as a run-defending specialist.

And I would also assume that its easier to find or develop an elite run defending specialist than it would be to find or develop a sub-elite outside/possibly elite inside pass rusher who is also high quality against the run.

I think if Michael Bennett signs, Chris Clemons will then be released with the Seahawks re-signing Schoefield to 2-3 per to fill the 2nd LE0 role ala Brock, Irvin, Avril.

Schofield is a UFA, and Avril and Irvin may not be ideal every-down LEOs.

One thing I've learned about John and Pete: they don't like to have ANY holes on the roster heading into the draft. Example: they signed Flynn, even though they were in love with Wilson. They're going to make sure they have a viable LEO on the roster before draft time comes. If free agency completely falls away from Seattle, then Clemons may have to be that guy. However, I'm sure they have several options on the table right now.

I think they have to wait and see what is going to happen with Bennett. If we cut Clemons and Bennett leaves it could put us in the same situation we were two years ago. They addressed the pash rush last offseason. Losing 2 of the 3 pash rushers is not something you really want to do. Especially when Avril only has one more year on his deal.

Did he look amazing because he was going against an overrated O-line though? (Let's be honest any Peyton O-line is going to look amazing against the pass rush when he's the all time leader in getting the ball out so fast). I suspect it's a combination of various factors, health and Denver's will/skill.

DavidSeven":oi1dnndu said:

Schofield is a UFA, and Avril and Irvin may not be ideal every-down LEOs.

One thing I've learned about John and Pete: they don't like to have ANY holes on the roster heading into the draft. Example: they signed Flynn, even though they were in love with Wilson. They're going to make sure they have a viable LEO on the roster before draft time comes. If free agency completely falls away from Seattle, then Clemons may have to be that guy. However, I'm sure they have several options on the table right now.

Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying but your example doesn't make sense. Flynn was signed before Wilson was drafted. Not the other way around.

Plenty of people think they know more than Pete and John, which is always good for a laugh.

hawkfan68":1ydsiehm said:

DavidSeven":1ydsiehm said:

Schofield is a UFA, and Avril and Irvin may not be ideal every-down LEOs.

One thing I've learned about John and Pete: they don't like to have ANY holes on the roster heading into the draft. Example: they signed Flynn, even though they were in love with Wilson. They're going to make sure they have a viable LEO on the roster before draft time comes. If free agency completely falls away from Seattle, then Clemons may have to be that guy. However, I'm sure they have several options on the table right now.

Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying but your example doesn't make sense. Flynn was signed before Wilson was drafted. Not the other way around.

Click to expand...

That's the point... They had a hole at QB. They identified a guy they liked in the draft, but they didn't want to go INTO the draft with major holes. Thus, they made sure to address that hole before the draft came around, so they wouldn't be forced to reach on a QB.

Here, they may like some LEOs in the draft or on the FA market. However, they aren't going to cut Clemons loose until those guys are actually signed to the roster. If they cut Clemons now and end up missing on Bennett and/or other FA targets, then they would be forced to reach on DEs in the draft.

I think the assumption we straight up release Clemons once Bennett is signed is flawed. Don't forget, right now, there's a gap where Red was, presumably filled by Hill or Williams, but if they don't work out (injury, experience, any number of reasons), Bennett can slide in like he did last year, but then we find ourselves needing a DE.

Despite the claims of his "underperformance" last year, Clemons was coming off a huge injury and, did his job well enough that the guys opposite him had huge success, which in itself speaks volumes. Yes, he's older in terms of a lineman, but he's also a leader on that line and I'd love to have him around for a year to teach the new guys. We'd be crazy to not offer him the chance to renegotiate, finish his time out in Seattle.

At 32 years, he has to know the market for him isn't huge and I bet the opportunity to get another ring before hanging up his cleats is in the back of his mind as well.

Clemons is still a high motor guy in same mold as Avril. I would try to keep all three. Remember when we had a very limited pass rush?

Also, a brief but interesting article on why Clemons and Miller both may have not been released or renegotiated. Obviously speculation, but I'd never thought of the idea of holding a guy to restrict his time on the free agent market, then force a restructure. Frankly it seems like kinda lowball, but it's a business

http://blog.seattlepi.com/hawkblogger/2 ... -non-news/

No roster bonus = no hurry to cut him.

Also, Clemons is insurance if we don't resign Bennett.