Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

[Chyli]

Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

RE-SIGNINGS AND RELEASES


Two key players were holding out for contacts that were in line with their contributions to the teams success; fullback Mike Karney and left tackle Kwame Harris. Going into the resigning period, Seattle had almost $45M in cap space to work with, but they also had to ensure they had funds available to free agency signings and the draft in the coming months.

Seattle GM Schneider and coach Pete Carroll looked over their roster from top to bottom, to see if/where they could save money and get both respective players paid.

They looked over Mike Karney’s contract. They offered him a 3-year deal worth $14M + $5.34M bonus to keep him one of the highest paid fullbacks in the league. It only cost them a measly $200K in cap space for this year which was helpful to their goals.

The next player they looked at was young receiving stud Lewis Moore. He was lightning fast and would help Claybrooks stretch the field every game. He had 1-year left on his rookie deal, but they wanted to sign him long-term. The offer was 5-years for $7.5M + $2.95M bonus money. Moore accepted and it only cost another $200K in cap for this year.

The next hurdle was their star left tackle holdout Kwame Harris. The two sides went back and forth about salary and signing bonus. They pair finally got a deal done for 3-years, $28M + $11.1M bonus to keep the offensive line intact and to hopefully keep Claybrooks upright and Marshawn Lynch running through big holes.

The roster was looked at through a microscope and some players were re-signed, others had their contract restricted and some were let go.

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RE-SIGNED / RESTRUCTURED

HB: JJ Arrington, 2-years, $2M + $440K bonus

TE: Rob Gronkowski, 7-years, $37M + 14.5M bonus

ROLB: Tully Banta-Cain, 3-years, $3.78M + $1.14M bonus

CB: Marcus Trufant, 3-years, $19M + $7.5M bonus

CB: Brice McCain, 4-years, $6M + $1M bonus

CB: Antoine Cason, franchise tag for $10.1M

SS: Patrick Chung, 4-years, $6M + $1.56M bonus

RELEASED

QB: Alex Smith
WR: Greg Camarillo & Lavelle Hawkins
LG: Shawn Parrish
RT: Geoff Schwartz
RE: Nick Reed
DT: Sione Pouha, Fili Moala & Shaun Cody (costing $420K cap hit)
MLB: Antonio Pierce & Brandon Chillar
CB: Kevin Thomas (costing $920K cap hit)

[Chyli]

Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

SEAHAWK FREE AGENCY


The Seahawks didn’t make much noise in free agency. Partly due to lack of PAC-12 talent available and partly due to the want and desire to save cap space for the upcoming draft. They did sign one player to give added depth to their offensive line.

The Hawks and 4-year vet Andy Levitre reached a deal. The contract was for 3-years, $3.45M + $960K bonus. He knew he was to be the backup to Pro Bowl Mike Pollak, but Andy put out a tweet, “I felt this was one of the best chances to get a Super Bowl ring and I had wanted to come home for awhile now”


NOTABLE FREE AGENT SIGNINGS



Joe Flacco signed with the Vikings

Alex Smith signed with the Redskins

Calvin Johnson, Nate Kaeding & Steve Smith Sr signed with the Panthers

Jason Witten signed with the Titans

Joe Thomas signed with the Dolphins

Steve Hutchinson signed with the Broncos

Damien Woody signed with the 49ers

Calais Campbell signed with the Jaguars

Dwight Freeney signed with the Bengals

Jonathan Vilma signed with the Bills

Derrelle Revis signed with the Chiefs

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie signed with the Steelers

Cartland Finnegan signed with the Saints

Ed Reed signed with the Eagles

[Chyli]

Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

KANSAS CITY SELECTS RIGHT END, BIFF MILLER, WITH 1ST OVERALL PICK OF 2013 DRAFT

The Kansas City Chiefs with the 1st overall pick of the 2013 draft selected Biff Miller, out of LSU who just seems churn out NFL starter every year. In his final year at LSU, Miller accumulated 75 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and was the recipient of the Ted Hendricks Award for the country’s top DE.

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SEAHAWKS SELECT CORNERBACK MARCUS MITCHELL WITH THEIR 1ST ROUND PICK

The reigning NFC West Champion, Seattle Seahawks selected cornerback Marcus Mitchell out of Washington with their 1st round pick (28th overall). Mitchell is a taller cornerback at 5’ 11, weighing 191 pounds. His combine wasn’t gonna blow anyone away, but Jon Schneider and Pete Carroll felt it was important to fill the void left behind by the departure of Walter Thurmond III.

“Mitchell is the type of guy that can immediately step into a starting role, and contribute right away” Carroll spoke on Twitter during the announcement of their pick.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

SEAHAWKS AND RAMS AGREE TO DRAFT DAY TRADE

The Seattle Seahawks have traded away their 2nd round (60th overall) and 7th round (220th overall) to the division rival Rams who beat them in both their games last year. In return the Seahawks will receive the Rams’ picks in round 3 (70th overall), round 5 (134th overall) and round 6 (166th) overall.

SEAHAWKS BOLSTER DEFENSE WITH NATE ABDULLAH AND LAMAR SPARKS WITH 2 PICKS IN 3RD ROUND

With the pick they got back in the Rams pick swap, the Seahawks selected right end Nate Abdullah out of USC. Nate Abdullah is a big guy at 6’ 3”, weighing 250 pounds. He knew how to get pressure on the quarterbacks in the PAC-12 and recorded 6 sacks his senior year as well as 15 tackles for loss on opposing running backs.

They then took Lamar Sparks a defensive tackle out of Washington. He is a big buy at 6’ 1”, 293 pounds. He was able to drag the quart back down 5 times his senior year. His number might not have stood out, but Pete Carroll loved his brain and how much football IQ the kid had. He figured his new defensive coordinator could get the best out of him.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

WITH ROUNDS 4-6, HAWKS SELECT 5 OF 7 GUYS ON OFFENSIVE SIDE OF BALL

With the 100th overall pick, the Hawks selected LOLB Randall Hayes. With the 124th overall pick the Seahawks finally went with an offensive player in Trent Boyd. Boyd is a running back from Washington, with an explosive burst of speed to pair well with the downhill running of Lynch.

With picks number 134 and 156, they chose Tremann Forbes a man who is quick in the middle linebacker position and has good side-to-side speed. At 134 respectively, Kendall Jenkins, quarterback from Colorado was good backup for Ray Claybrooks since Alex Smith left in the offseason.

Kevin Brown, a left tackle; Nate Tatum a wide receiver; and Derrick Nystrom a running back; rounded out the draft picks of the Seattle Seahawks.

Hawks nations took to Twitter in support of their team:

“Let’s get back to the Super Bowl” — CrazyHawk

“Talent up and down the roster! Let’s GOOOOO!!” — HawkDad015

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

POST-DRAFT ANALYSIS

With the draft over, the experts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay went to analyze each team’s draft and grade it accordingly.

The Carolina Panthers got the only “A” grade out of the whole draft. Kiper had said their draft was “superb and addressed both sides of the ball. Their chance to repeat is never a guarantee, but on paper they were the odds on favorites”.

The Vikings got close with a grade of “A-“. McShay had said “The Vikings draft was *almost* perfect. They reach once, which only time will tell if it worked. For now they get an “A-“.

The NFC West was an entirely different story as each team; Cardinals, 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all got grades of “F”.

Todd and Mel both agreed that no team in the NFC West really separated themselves from the pack. “Seattle reached too much, San Francisco has ZERO draft capital to work with. St. Louis made a few god picks, but didn’t address their holes much. Overall, abysmal draft by all in the division”

[Chyli]

Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

WHEN ROOKIES BECOME PROFESSIONALS!

The day when college kids have realized their dream is about to come true. It’s when they get to sign their first contract with the NFL team that said they were good enough to be on their team.

The Seahawks had 10 draft picks for 2012, and each one was grateful for the opportunity to play in the National Football League. Some for their hometown teams, others just for a shot at the big stage.

CB Marcus Mitchell (Washington) 7-years, $49 + $19.1M bonus (84 Ovr)

RE Nate Abdullah (USC) 3-years, $6.5M + $990K bonus (78 Ovr)

DT Lamar Sparks (Washington) 3-years, $6.5M + $1.59M bonus (76 Ovr)

LOLB Randall Hayes (USC) 3-years, $3.5M + $1.17M bonus (76 Ovr)

HB Trent Boyd (Washington) 3-years, $3.5M + $840K bonus (75 Ovr)

MLB Tremann Forbes (Washington) 2-years, $3M + $360K bonus (74 Ovr)

QB Kendall Jenkins (Colorado) 2-years, $1.5M + $360K bonus (73 Ovr)

LT Kevin Brown (UCLA) 2-years, $2.4M + $300K bonus (73 Ovr)

WR Nate Tatum (Colorado) 2-years, $1.75M + $200K bonus (70 Ovr)

HB Derrick Nystrom (Washington St), 1-year, $750K + $100K bonus (72 Ovr)

[Chyli]

Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

POST-DRAFT FREE AGENCY

The Seahawks saw holes that needed to be addressed in post-draft free agency and picked up some added depth along the way. Their first critical hope was special teams, at the punter positions. Ty Spires was okay, but he had trouble hitting his spots and didn’t progress the way the team hoped he would. So they went out and sought after Nick Harris from California. He had impressed in a couple private workouts, hitting the sidelines. They offered him a 3-year deal worth $3.5M + $870K bonus, to entice him. They cut Ty Spires in a corresponding move after signing Harris, but Spires was costing them $480 cap hit next year.

After that signing, the Hawks found rookie linebacker Antonio Alderman. They signed him to a 1-year deal worth $1.15M + $200K bonus. It was a deal to see what he could do if called upon, and to give their first stringers a break when needed.

Lavelle Hawkins was resigned to a 1-year deal for $1M + $100K bonus to be their special teams returner once more...it was a revolving door as it was the third or fourth time he was signed back to the team.

To round out the free agent signings before preseason started was corner back Jonathan Morrissey out of Washington. He may have been a rookie, but he was fast. The hope was he could keep pace with the speedy receivers in the league to help cut down on the big aerial play they were prone to in years past. His deal was for $2.15M + $200K bonus. He was to be the third or fourth cornerback used in dime packages, as Cason and Trufant were entrenched as the top two back in the secondary.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

PRESEASON ROUNDUP

The Seahawks went UNDEFEATED in the preseason. The offense played better with each passing game. They went on the road and outscored their old AFC rival Kansas City Chiefs 19-3. They outscored the Tennessee Titans 23-10. They played in front of a raucous crowd in Seattle and beat the Buccaneers 29-6 as the defense forced three turnovers. In the preseason finale they beat the visiting Rams 24-3, as rookies Jackson and Boyd combined for 3 of the touchdowns.

Hawk nation took to Twitter and Instagram to show off their pride in their undefeated preseason and the momentum it gave them heading into the regular season. It was going to be a tough road as it always is, but the fans were ready for it.

“Time to own the NFC West for a fourth straight year” — HawkFan 104

“Claybrooks for MVP” — SoaringHIGH

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

NICHOLS KNOCKS HOME 7 FIELD GOALS IN ROUTE TO SHUTOUT OF 49ERS IN SEASON OPENER

Glen Nichols was a one man show, accounting for 7 fields goals on the day. He was to be outdone by the stellar defensive play of the entire defense as they shut out the 49ers on their home territory. Keith Marshall picked off rookie quarterback Alford twice on the day, setting up 2 field goals.

Marshawn Lynch finally gave Seattle more than a field goal partway through 2nd quarter when he bullied across the goal line from 3-yards on a pass into the flats by Claybrooks. Seattle would tack on 3 more field goals to take a 16-0 lead into halftime.

San Francisco didn’t want to be shut out on their field, but rookie Alford tossed a ball that was hauled in by Seahawks defender Benjamin Leon who ran it back the 18-yard for a defensive touchdown to end the game in style. The final score was 35-0, giving notice to the NFC West that Seattle was ready to 4-peat as Champs of the West.

Bill Belichick was heralded for having his new defensive unit ready to play, as evidenced by the multiple turnovers produced by the unit.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

SEATTLE GIVES UP LONE TOUCHDOWN AS THEY IMPROVE TO 2-0

Seattle got on the board in the second quarter as Claybrooks found Ochocinco in man-to-man coverage and connected with him for a 36-yard score. Then they added on a field goal before halftime to go up 10-0.

After the half, Seattle gave up a 61-yard score down the left sideline to second year back Kelly to cut the lead to 10-7. Seattle then took the momentum back as Lavelle Hawkins took the kickoff 104-yards, weaving his way through the defense to push the lead to 17-7. Seattle added a pair of field goals in the final quarter to win by a score of 23-7.

Claybrooks was average, by tossing for 196 yards and a touchdown and an interception.

“Hopefully I can play better next game” spoke Claybrooks to the media, “I can’t rely on the defense to win every game for me”.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

SEATTLE BLOWS OUT CARDINALS 45-7 AS DEFENSE REMAINS DOMINANT

Seattle got the offense going early and it kept going all game long as Ray Claybrooks threw for 4 touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch got a 2-yard run in the first to go up 7-0. Claybrooks then issued his first touchdown to Lavelle Hawkins for a 10-yard score. Claybrooks then found Gronkowski for his first score of the game towards the end of the half on a 16-yard post route to take a 21-0 lead into half.

The only score for the Cardinals came as Ray Claybrooks was scrambling to his left, and got hit hard by Will Washington and he fumbled the ball. Daryl Washington picked up the ball and ran it back for the touchdown.

Seattle added on three more touchdowns in the final quarter to ensure there was no hope for a comeback. Tyler Boyd got his first touchdown of his NFL career as he caught a 1-yard pass in the flat. Gronkowski scored his second touchdown of the game on a 15-yard post route and shook a defender to go in for the 32-yard score. Then rookie Boyd got his first rushing touchdown as he took the ball right and ran in untouched for the 29-yard score.

Despite the pair of turnovers Claybrooks tossed, the defense picked him back up. He completed 21-32 attempts for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns to 2 interceptions.

Up next on the docket is the visiting San Francisco 49ers, who are hellbent on getting revenge for the 45-0 butt-whopping they received on opening day.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

ARRINGTON HAS 3-TD GAME AS SEAHAWKS IN BIG 41-21 VICTORY

The Seahawks got the first points as JJ Arrington got his first of the night on a 3-yard run on the right side toss. Claybrooks followed it up with a 88-yard bomb as Lavelle Hawkins beat his man off the line and went in untouched. San Francisco got a touchdown at the end of the first quarter as Chris Glover rumbled and stumbled for a 12-yard score.

The second quarter was a repeat of the first almost. After a Seattle field goal, Glover got a 5-yard touchdown to make it a Seattle lead of 17-14. Arrington punched it in from 2-yard right before half time to push the lead to 24-14.

After halftime, Seattle tacked on a field goal and Lynch got a 12-yard run while the defense held San Francisco scoreless to go up big heading into the final quarter, 34-14.

The final quarter saw the two teams exchange touchdowns. The 49ers Vernon Davis ran down the seam and beat everyone for a 97-yard score. While Seattle’s Arrington ran up the right sideline after making 3 defenders miss for a 49-yard score of his own.

Claybrooks had a great night tossing for almost 500 yards to help fuel the ground game. Next up is their bye week and then back at home on Monday Night Football to host the Arizona Cardinals.

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

CLAYBROOKS THROWS 5 INTERCEPTIONS BUT HAWKS DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN CARDINALS TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED

Seattle quarterback Ray Claybrooks will be haunted by the Cardinals’ defenders in his sleep over the next week. He threw a total of 5 interceptions, with zero touchdowns to have one of the WORST statistical games in his young career.

The defense picked him up however as they forced 2 fumbles from running back Dre Martin, an interception from Seneca Wallace as well as holding Wallace to a 28% completion percentage.

Seattle finally got on the board with :08 to go before halftime as tight end Alex Smith played fullback and ran it in from 1-yard out. Nichols missed the PAT however to take a 6-0 lead.

Seattle got a touchdown with two minutes left in the third as Lynch ran it in from 2-yards. They completed the 2-point conversion to go up 14-3, as Arizona had gotten a field minutes prior to the touchdown.

Seattle added a 4-yard run by the rookie Tyler Boyd to ensure the victory by the Seahawks.

Claybrooks threw 3 interception in the red zone, which allowed the Cardinals to feel they were still in the game.

After the game Claybrooks spoke to the media, “This will be a night to forget, but my defense bailed me out once again. Talk to Benjamin Leon, he was the real star of the night by being the balhawk we know him to be.”

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Re: Pete Carroll’s PAC-12 Pipeline (PS2 Madden Franchise)

SEATTLE DEFENSE PICKS OFF MATT RYAN 4 TIMES TO HILD OFF LATE FALCONS RALLY

The Atlanta Falcons got on the board and quickly, as Keith Jenkins took his carry of the game 79-yards for the score. Atlanta then added on another touchdown run by Andy Thompson to take a 14-0 lead after the first.

The second quarter saw Seattle quarterback Claybrooks make another critical mistake as he tossed a red zone interception after their defense picked off Matt Ryan for this first of four. Seattle added a field goal part way through the quarter after the defense forced a punt. They added a touchdown with 8:48 in the half to make it a 14-10 game. Seattle forced a second interception with about 1:30 to go in the half. Coach Carroll got greedy and went for it on 4th down and goal from the 1-yard line but got stuffed. The halftime deficit was 14-10.

The third quarter was an interesting one. Seattle was forced to punt, but the ball sailed high and into the end zone where the punter recovered but was touched down for a safety.

Seattle’s defense forced a punt and drove down 76-yards in 6 plays to finally take their first lead of the game at 17-16. Seattle added on another touchdown as Boyd got a 1-yard dive to push their lead to 24-16.

It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter, when Nichols kicked a 18-yard field goal which would end up being the game winner. Atlanta scored on a quick pass play to Anquan Boldin from 79-yard to make it a 27-24 game after the successful 2-pt try, but the defense kept the high scoring Falcons in check to secure the victory.