Off-season SUCKS

Off-season SUCKS!!

There, that makes me feel better. Just wish fall would get here, it's time for some football!! For starters, I have been corrected from my last post. I thought all the talk of moving Justin Britt to center was just that, talk. Apparently he's working out better than I thought. Sounds to me like he will be one of two players to get a long look at center. Britt, and last years starter Patrick Lewis seem to be in the battle, while the Hawks are also taking a long look at sixth round pick Joey Hunt. From what it sounds and looks like to me, the Hawks coaches like to have as many multi-position players as possible, which would only make sense. Injuries can deplete an offensive line quickly, so it’s nice to have players capable of stepping in at two, or even three, positions. That being said, as long as we can get some continuity on the line, and gel as a unit quickly, we’ll be leap years ahead the early part of the last couple years. 

Turning to defense now, there isn’t a lot of mystery here. For me, the defense is the more exciting of the two units. We have an amazing core group, with Bennett, Avril, Rubin, Wagner, Wright, Sherman, Chancellor and Thomas all being at, or close to, their prime years. With the return of Brandon Browner and Chris Clemons we should have a real veteran locker room, if nothing else. There’s a whole lot of experience there, which should help the young players. With Frank Clark, Cassius Marsh and Jordan Hill having another year under their belt and some promising looks from rookies Quinton Jefferson and Jarran Reed, the defensive front should be real good. We’re getting back to the 2013 style of being able to platoon players on the line. Personally, I think that is huge.  

If we can find a replacement for Irvin at strong side LB, we should be good. With Wagner and Wright, we have the other two taken care of. Sounds like it may be Mike Morgan’s job to lose. Marsh, converted DB Eric Pinkins and Kevin Pierre-Louis have also been getting a look at the SAM position, though Pierre-Louis has normally been K.J. Wright’s backup on the weak-side.  

With the original Legion of Boom back in place, should have another stellar year. I hear they’re going to move Browner from corner to safety, as a back-up. We should have a Shead/Lane battle at the corner opposite Sherman, and either should be an improvement over last years ‘experiment’ with Cary Williams.  Strong safety and free safety are both positions that seem to be as set as Sherman’s cornerback slot. With Earl being regarded by many as the best in the league, and Kam being, well Kam, there isn’t much that needs done here. 

Overall, the defense can make a fan really excited, but it is only June, so…. If we can keep the injuries to a minimum, the D should be, again, tops in the league. 

As I went over the offense last week, some notes on the three day camp. It ended after my previous post. Keep hearing the name Nick Vannett rookie TE. I’ve read that he could be the steal of the draft. OK, but where do we put him? With Graham and Willson already in the lineup, it should be interesting how it works out. Three tight ends? Joey Hunt (OL), Quinton Jefferson & Jarran Reed (DL), Ifedi Germain (OL), Alex Collins & C.J. Prosise (RB) and Kenny Lawler (WR) are other rookies that could see substantial time this year. 

Overall this may be as deep of a roster as the Hawks have had for some time. They have a good mix of veterans, rookies and everything in between. With the exception of Baldwin and Bennett, we don’t have many contract squabbles, and it sounds like those two will work themselves out. Fingers crossed! As a fan, I’m hoping for at least another conference championship game. 14-2, 15-1 would sound real nice? Guess we have become a little spoiled in the Pacific Northwest. Really though, is there anything wrong with that? 

Until next time…………..                      GO HAWKS!!!