Seahawks 55-man 53-man roster

52 of my 53 made the Seahawks roster. I assumed the team would go with Owen Schmitt over David Kirtman, but I am not as comfortable as the Seahawks with giving him a roster spot he didn't earn. The front office chose to go with potential.

The Seahawks ended up with 55 players due to the suspensions of Jordan Babineaux and Rocky Bernard, which bought Brandon Coutu and Justin Forsett one more week on the active roster. Forsett should eventually land as the eighth member of the practice squad (not counting international exemption Samuel Gutekunst).

Of the players already named to the practice squad, OG Pat Murray was the only player not on my list. Hard to believe he is still around after poor performances and penalties during the preseason. The Seahawks are also rolling the dice with only 6 LBs on the active roster and none on the practice squad. Tim Ruskell is hoping Will Herring will be ready can come in after Week 6, but has a few of his former players on speed dial just in case.

Offense (27)
QB (3) - Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye
HB/FB (6) - Julius Jones, T.J. Duckett, Maurice Morris, Leonard Weaver, Owen Schmitt, Justin Forsett
WR (6) - Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent, Logan Payne
TE (3) - John Carlson, Jeb Putzier, Will Heller
OL (9) - Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Mike Wahle, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto, Floyd Womack, Steve Vallos

Defense (24)
DE (5) - Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Lawrence Jackson, Jason Babin, Baraka Atkins
DT (5) - Rocky Bernard, Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, Craig Terrill, Howard Green
LB (6) - Lofa Tatupu , Julian Peterson, Leroy Hill, D.D. Lewis, Lance Laury, David Hawthorne
S (4) - Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Jordan Babineaux, C.J. Wallace
CB (4) - Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, Josh Wilson, Kevin Hobbs

Special Teams (4)
K - Olindo Mare, Brandon Coutu
P - Ryan Plackemeier
LS - Jeff Robinson

Practice Squad (8)
WR Michael Bumpus
TE Joe Newton
OL Kyle Williams
OG Pat Murray
S Jamar Adams
DT Kevin Brown
CB Marquis Floyd
OT Samuel Gutekunst

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Final Roster Analysis: Seahawks 53-Man Roster

Seahawks 53-Man Roster Prediction

Offense (26)
QB (3) - Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye
HB/FB (5) - Julius Jones, T.J. Duckett, Maurice Morris, Leonard Weaver, David Kirtman
WR (6) - Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent, Logan Payne
TE (3) - John Carlson, Jeb Putzier, Will Heller
OL (9) - Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Mike Wahle, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto, Floyd Womack, Steve Vallos

Defense (24)
DE (5) - Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Lawrence Jackson, Jason Babin, Baraka Atkins
DT (5) - Rocky Bernard, Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, Craig Terrill, Howard Green
LB (6) - Lofa Tatupu , Julian Peterson, Leroy Hill, D.D. Lewis, Lance Laury, David Hawthorne
S (4) - Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Jordan Babineaux, C.J. Wallace
CB (4) - Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, Josh Wilson, Kevin Hobbs

Special Teams (3)
K - Olindo Mare
P - Ryan Plackemeier
LS - Jeff Robinson

+ DT Larry Tripplett if Deion Branch starts the season on the PUP List

Practice Squad (9)
OT Samuel Gutekunst
RB Justin Forsett
FB Owen Schmitt
WR Michael Bumpus
TE Joe Newton
OL Kyle Williams
LB Dallas Sartz
S Jamar Adams
DT Kevin Brown
CB Marquis Floyd

Gutekunst is an international player exemption. One of the other guys obviously can't make it (most likely Floyd or Williams) unless Forsett gets picked up off waivers by another team.

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Definitive Roster Analysis

Battles tonight are:
- David Kirtman and Owen Schmitt (Kirtman is in the lead, Schmitt will be given every opportunity to earn this spot)
- Justin Forsett, Jordan Kent, and Logan Payne (all 3 could make it if Deion Branch ends up on PUP list to start the season, but unless something dramatic happens tonight, Forsett or Payne is headed to the practice squad)
- Baraka Atkins and Jason Babin (Babin is in the lead)
- Olindo Mare and Brandon Coutu

Offense (27)
QB (3) - Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye
HB/FB (5-6) - Julius Jones, T.J. Duckett, Maurice Morris, Leonard Weaver, David Kirtman/Owen Schmit, (Justin Forsett)
WR (5-7) - Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, (Jordan Kent/Logan Payne)
TE (3) - John Carlson, Jeb Putzier, Will Heller
OL (9) - Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Mike Wahle, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto, Floyd Womack, Steve Vallos

Defense (23)
DE (4) - Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Lawrence Jackson, Baraka Atkins/Jason Babin
DT (5) - Rocky Bernard, Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, Craig Terrill, Howard Green
LB (6) - Lofa Tatupu , Julian Peterson, Leroy Hill, D.D. Lewis, Lance Laury, David Hawthorne
S (4) - Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Jordan Babineaux, C.J. Wallace
CB (4) - Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, Josh Wilson, Kevin Hobbs

Special Teams (3)
K - Brandon Coutu/Olindo Mare
P - Ryan Plackemeier
LS - Jeff Robinson

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Bobby Engram out 6-8 weeks, Marcus Tubbs released

Bobby Engram cracked a bone in his shoulder and will miss 6-8 weeks, which probably translates to the first four games of the season (the Seahawks have a bye in Week 4). That isn't a major concern and might not even result in an extra receiver on the roster.

The Seahawks will typically have 4 active receivers on game days. The concern will be the health of Logan Payne and Courtney Taylor as August 30th approaches. As long as they are ready to play, then the Week 1 actives will be...
Nate Burleson, Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne

Branch will miss the first couple of games, Bobby will miss the first month or so. Seneca Wallace would be available in an emergency situation, and Jordan Kent and Michael Bumpus can beMarcus Tubbs called up from the practice squad.

The Marcus Tubbs release shouldn't be a surprise. His career has been unofficially over for nearly a full year. The battle for the final DT spot is between Howard Green, Larry Tripplett, and Chris Cooper. Green was on the team last year, isn't sidelined with an injury, and has been playing well in practice and the preseason. He has the clear lead in that race.

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Seahawks roster shaping up

Injuries and effort have earned Steve Vallos, Howard Green, and David Hawthorne roster spots. The losses of Chris Gray and Wesley Mallard made room for Vallos and Hawthorne, and both are seizing the opportunity. Howard Green was always in the mix for the final DT spot, but due to injuries, he has really been competing against himself. He has been playing very well and made the team last year.

The running back situation is getting more muddled. Owen Schmitt hasn't yet overcome David Kirtman to earn his spot, but he's slowly starting that push. He has shown some flashes with the ball in his hands, but his blocking needs to improve in a hurry. Justin Forsett continues to make flashy plays albeit against 3rd stringers a la Marquis Weeks of pre-seasons past. He might play his way onto the roster as the 6th RB or find a way to steal a spot over Kirtman and Schmitt, or maybe from another position (that is highly unlikely).

T.J. Duckett put the ball on the ground twice against the Vikings, but he isn't going anywhere. He isn't a fumbler, so those plays were flukes more than anything, and his lack of success up the middle has more to do with the offensive line than anything else. If he starts do line-up at fullback, we could see Forsett make the team and Schmitt land on the practice squad.

Offense (26)
QB (3) - Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye
HB/FB (5) - Julius Jones, T.J. Duckett, Maurice Morris, Leonard Weaver
WR (6) - Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne
TE (3) - John Carlson, Jeb Putzier, Will Heller
OL (9) - Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Mike Wahle, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto, Floyd Womack, Steve Vallos

Defense (24)
DE (4) - Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Lawrence Jackson, Baraka Atkins
DT (5) - Rocky Bernard, Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, Craig Terrill, Howard Green
LB (7) - Lofa Tatupu , Julian Peterson, Leroy Hill, D.D. Lewis, Lance Laury, Will Herring, David Hawthorne
S (4) - Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Jordan Babineaux, C.J. Wallace
CB (4) - Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, Josh Wilson, Kevin Hobbs

Special Teams (3)
K - Brandon Coutu
P - Ryan Plackemeier
LS - Tyler Schmitt

Practice Squad (9)
RB - Justin Forsett
WR - Jordan Kent
WR - Michael Bumpus
TE - Joe Newton
OT - Kyle Williams
OT - Samuel Gutekunst
OL - Ben Claxton
DL - Nu'u Tafisi
DB - Jamar Adams

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Seahawks Scrimmage - Offensive Line (inc. TE)

TE
John Carlson appears to be the real deal and should play a huge role this year, both blocking and receiving. He knows how to get open, runs clean routes, makes grabs, and is a good blocker. All of the reasons the Seahawks traded up to draft him. The only concern are limitations due to his lack of speed, which is hard to gauge without the starting LBs out there. Will Heller didn't stand out, but they did use some 2 TE sets. Putzier was sidelined.

Offensive Line
This is the biggest concern for 2008 and beyond. Walter Jones and Sean Locklear offer stability on the outside for now. Floyd Womack looked solid filling in at LT for Walt (although injuries are always a concern).

The concern since Steve Hutchinson left has been the interior. Mike Wahle only looked OK, but he will be fine. The concern is at C and RG, and depth on the interior (especially with the litany of injuries). Steve Vallos has been doing a decent job at center, but if he has to play, then you can forget about running up the middle.

The Seahawks probably need a better option behind Chris Spencer, and it is hard to think that Ben Claxton is the answer, but maybe. Mansfield Wrotto actually blocks well from the center spot, although the exchanges aren't always clean. Spencer's injuries make this a pressing concern.

Wrotto and Ray Willis provide solid depth on the right side, but Rob Sims is the reason for concern. He is a marginal starter and should be fighting off Ray Willis for a starting job. Wrotto would be a decent fill-in, but he isn't ready to start. The problem with starting Ray Willis at RG is that it leaves the Seahawks without a reserve RT. He could always slide over if one of the starting tackles gets injured.

Things will have to sort themselves out with Chris Gray's retirement, but the Seahawks really need a guy that can backup Chris Spencer and play guard if needed. Ben Claxton and Steve Vallos aren't great options for that role. Wrotto has the ability to be that guy in the future, but he isn't ready yet.

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Seahawks Scrimmage - QBs and WRs

QBs
Matt Hasselbeck hardly payed and Seneca Wallace looked about like normal - decent, but more of an athlete than a passer.

Charlie Frye was the QB worth noticing. Frye looked good, and like a real QB. That is impressive given what he was working with, but not surprising. He was a starter in Cleveland with a weak supporting cast. He is ready to play if need, so we will see Seneca Wallace doing a lot more than holding a clipboard.

WRs
As with Justin Forsett, too much has been made of Jordan Kent's performance. He beat Omare Lowe on a deep route at the end of the scrimmage and caught a beautifully thrown ball from Charlie Frye. Michael Bumpus had a better scrimmage and made a better play on his catch at the goalline of the north endzone.

Kent was lost throughout the scrimmage to that point, never getting open, running the wrong routes, and often getting singled out by the QB and coaches after plays to tell him what he was doing wrong. His speed is still exciting, but beating Lowe on a deep route isn't something that earns a roster spot. He wasn't even one of the guys practicing punt returns.

It was a shame Courtney Taylor was held out, but he, Ben Obomanu, and Logan Payne are the second unit. Payne and Obomanu looked like real NFL receivers and found the soft spots and holes in the defense to get open and make catches. Kent will get his chances will Payne sidelined due to his ribs, but don't expect anything to change.

Deion Branch was at practicing catch balls on one knee and standing on one foot, while the coaching staff pushed him in the back. It looked like Holmgren's comments about him being ready at the start of the season aren't too far off. I still think Week 2 or 3 is more realistic. He did lay down on the turf in some pain for about a minute when catching balls on one knee, but seemed OK after.

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Chris Gray retires...

Bad news for the Seahawks. Good news for Steve Vallos (unless they go out and get a true center to serve as a backup - I can't imagine Ben Claxton is the answer, but maybe).

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Seahawks Scrimmage - Backfield

On Saturday, the general public got there first look at the 2008 version of the Seattle Seahawks. The scrimmage was heavily focused on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string with a number of starters sidelined with minor injuries or just held out to avoid injury. Even so, the scrimmage yielded some important observations. We'll start with the backfield.

Backfield
Predictably, more was made of Justin Forsett's performance than was warranted. He did look good, but it was against a bunch of guys that won't be making the team. It's a lot easier to run away from Chris Cooper, David Hawthorne and Jamar Adams than NFL regulars. Marquis Weeks had nice scrimmages and preseason games in the past.

Don't get me wrong, Forsett would be a solid #3 RB if there weren't 3 better guys on the team. There just isn't room for 4 HBs on an NFL roster. He is the best practice squad back the Seahawks have had in years.

David Kirtman and Owen Schmitt were noticeably lackluster. Kirtman looked like the better blocker and was on the field much more and played with the guys further up the depth chart. There is still time for that to change, but I wouldn't recommended buying one of the #35 jerseys that are in the Seahawks Pro Shop just yet. If it gets close, Schmitt might make the team as a PR and fan relations move. That is one of the most interesting battles to watch. Anyone still pushing the idea that Schmitt will be cutting into Weaver's playing time by midseason?

I floated this as one of the possible albeit unlikely scenarios a month or so ago, but it is looking a little more reasonable at this point: Justin Forsett makes the team and Kirtman and Schmitt don't. I still don't think that will happen, but that is Forsett's only chance (other than an injury). In that scenario T.J. Duckett would serve as the backup FB.

Duckett had an excellent scrimmage and showed exactly why Tim Ruskell brought him in. And it isn't to play fullback (Duckett didn't line up there once). Maybe Mike Holmgren can figure it out now. Anyone still pushing the idea that Duckett is going to be cut or traded? Duckett will likely end the season with more touches than Maurice Morris (unless Julius Jones misses significant time).

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