32 in 31: Seattle Seahawks

Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August and September to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013

The Seattle Seahawks are the Nina Agdal or Ryan Gosling, whatever your attraction may be, of the National Football League.  Seriously, they could not be hotter right now. They are talking up the Seahawks to the highest levels. Many people have this team playing in the Super Bowl this season.  There are many things to like about this team and I could see the Hawks playing in the New York in their second Super Bowl appearance. But that does not mean there are not concerns with this team.

OFFENSE
Russell Wilson became one of the bigger fan favorites in the sport last season. Wilson is a shorter player thus being an underdog and everyone loves an underdog. Wilson made some great plays last year from throwing to running the football.  He does have a great defense behind him meaning he does not have to be great all the time, but Wilson  finds a way to make an impact. In a lot of ways, Wilson has similar personality qualities as Tim Tebow. I realize that's sort of obscure, but every positive personality trait about Wilson has probably been said about Tebow. Is this a #HOTSPORTSTAKE?  Probably because Tebow carries so much weight yet I feel like I am not wrong here.  

The Seahawks might have a loaded arsenal when it comes to running backs. Marshawn Lynch developed into a top-tier running back again after showing potential in Buffalo and going through some hard times. Now he is a dynamic runner who can wear down any opponent defense. They also have Christine Michael and Robert Turbin. The two young running backs have shown a ton of potential whether it is Turbin during the NFL season last year or Michael during the preseason this year.

DEFENSE
When talking about their defense we have to start in their secondary.  It is rare to see the secondary as the meanest part of their defense, but this is what the Seahawks have right now. They clearly have the best defensive nickname going right now with the 'Legion of Boom.'   Richard Sherman is a mean dude. Brandon Brower is a mean dude. Kam Chancellor is a mean dude. These men do not play any sort of games and are not afraid to throw around the lumber.  Have I called Sherman an asshole in the past? Yes I have, but that's only because I have watched him jaw at my team before. I would be remiss if I did not mention Earl Thomas whose also a mean dude at safety.

Chris Clemons practiced Wednesday, but the defensive end will not be playing in the season opener this year although he should probably be back in the upcoming weeks. Not to worry Hawks fans as they added Cliff Avril in the offseason and he can definitely be a player for this team. Avril still had a pretty solid year in 2012 even if it did not hit his 2011 levels.  They also added Michael Bennett who had a huge year for Tampa Bay last season. Now this could have been a player looking for a contract, but you never know until they play the following seasons.

SPECIAL TEAMS
They have a pretty good unit with Steven Hauschka and Jon Ryan.  I love Tim Masthay and I am glad he's with the Green Bay Packers because I honestly missed Jon Ryan for a long time.

KEY ADDITIONS
WR Percy Harvin, DE Cliff Avril, DE Michael Bennett, DT Tony McDaniel - Harvin tweeted he might be back by Week 7 coming off his hip injury. I doubt it personally, but him coming back mid-season will be a massive upgrade to the wide receiver position.

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
DT Alan Branch, LB Leroy Hill, DE Jason Jones, QB Matt Flynn

SEAHAWKS DRAFT PICKS
RB Christine Michael, DT Jordan Hill, WR Chris Harper, DT Jessie Williams, CB Tharold Simon, TE Luke Wilson, RB Spencer Ware, OG Ryan Seymour, LB Ty Powell, OG Jared Smith, OT Michael Bowie - Jessie Williams is a player I would keep my eye on.

GAME TO WATCH
Sunday November 10th at Atlanta 12 pm - A rematch of one of the better playoff games in the past couple of years with the Hawks collapsing late. Can they redeem themselves and will this game be important to NFC seeding?

WIN TOTAL
11-12 - I think the Hawks win the NFC West division. They could be the number one seed as well which would be bad news for the rest of the NFC.

Charlie.

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Fantasy RB Rankings Reaction

Earlier in the offseason, I posted my 2013 Fantasy Football Ranks, so that everyone could get prepared for the fantasy football season. If you missed those rankings, they are posted here.I asked for a lot of feedback, so I knew how to look more in depth at each individual. I won’t be writing about each individual player, instead I will look to spend more time on players that might represent more points for discussion. Charlie and Mitch were more than happy to toss some thoughts about my ranks on the August 14 Tapping the Keg Podcast, if you missed that, the link is here.I’ll use some of the players they mentioned, some players SnoTap contributor Bryan Reynolds mentioned, and players I think are points of discussion this offseason. If you there is anyone you disagree with my rankings on, as always send them to SnoTap12@gmail.com, and I’ll make sure to address it in the next column.

TE Rankings Reaction QB Rankings Reaction WR Rankings Reaction

#2 Marshawn Lynch- Lynch’s ranking says as much about all the other running backs this year than it does about him. I view Lynch as the safest among the players that are in contention for the number 2 slot (Foster, Rice, Charles, Martin, Spiller). Yes Lynch is getting slightly older, and there is some chance for some younger guys to steal a few carries, but Lynch is vital to what Seattle does on offense, and despite their acquisition of Percy Harvin in the offseason, the Seahawks will have to center their offense around the rushing attack again. If I’m picking for upside, Lynch slides down the list, but if I’m picking someone I want to make sure doesn’t fall out of the top 10, Lynch holds the number 2 slot.

#4 Ray Rice- I’m nowhere near as concerned about Ray Rice as everyone else seems to be. A lot of people are talking that Rice will have a down year due to being worked too much the previous seasons and the emergence of Bernard Pierce. While I do like Pierce as a value later in drafts, I see him having value independent of taking value away from Rice. The Ravens have gone through a lot of change in the offseason, and while Joe Flacco just got paid, I believe Ray Rice might be their best player. When a team has to adjust its identity, they’ll make sure to focus on their best players. I think Rice will get a good, but not overwhelming amount of carries this season, but more importantly will catch the ball out of the backfield a lot, as Flacco’s new security blanket on passing plays.

#6 Doug Martin- One of two things is going to happen to Doug Martin this year: he is going to be a top-4 back, that allows many to win their league for taking a chance on him, or he will not produce up to expectations and be the focus of many negative fantasy articles throughout the season. (Remember this sentence, it’ll look familiar soon). I’m a big fan of Martin this year, I’ve gone out of my way to trade for him in my important keeper league, but he’s definitely still a risk. I’ve seen people want him as their second best running back, behind only Adrian Peterson, but that’s a bit too high for me. I still have my concerns. Martin could easily fall victim to injuries, a sophomore jinx, or a slightly overrated end of season ranking, based too much on his monstrous performance against the Oakland Raiders.

#7 CJ Spiller- One of two things is going to happen to CJ Spiller this year: he is going to be a top-4 back, that allows many to win their league for taking a chance on him, or he will not produce up to expectations and be the focus of many negative fantasy articles throughout the season.  Much like Martin, I’ve gone out of my way to trade for in my important keeper league, but he’s definitely also a risk. Much has been made about Spiller getting all the carries and touches now in the Buffalo offense, but I’m not sure that’s the best use of Spiller. Spiller was able to dominate the fantasy world mostly by focusing on his big play ability, similar to how Jamaal Charles began his career. I’m not sure that an increase in offensive touches impacts him as much as it would for other players. If Spiller lives up to expectations, he will dominate, but there are still concerns such as injuries, that make me somewhat cautious.

Young RBs- I’m generally someone who is okay waiting a year or two for a running back to prove themselves before having them land on my team, especially when the player in question has a lot of hype surrounding them. While David Wilson, Lamar Miller, Montee Ball, and Le’Veon Bell are all being called “sleepers,” the popularity of fantasy football has left enough people informed that it will be tough to get a good value on these players. For guys that could easily lose carries to other running backs on their team, it’s tough to count on them for a high draft pick. Would you rather spend a fourth/fifth round pick on these guys, or wait a few rounds and draft Ronnie Hillman, Andre Brown, or Isaac Redman, and still get a higher end wide receiver?  Young running backs are certainly helpful to a team; just make sure you are finding the right guys at the right value.

New Orleans Saints RBs- Darren Sproles is clearly the running back to own of this group, but if either Pierre Thomas or Mark Ingram gets injured, make sure to pick up the other. The Saints running game has been notoriously difficult to predict, since they carried four players on the roster that were worthy of carries. Now that Chris Ivory is in New York, there is some clarity to the position. Sproles will play a lot, and get a lot of catches out of the backfield, but now the majority of the rushing attempts will split between two potentially productive players, both also have injury concerns, which could make the other worth owning.

Backfields to Avoid-

Arizona Cardinals-Unless Rashard Mendenhall or Ryan Williams can separate themselves, this will be a frustrating team.

Indianapolis Colts- Ahmad Bradshaw is the better player, but will be injured at times leading him and Vick Ballard to be frustrating to own.

Carolina Panthers- This has been obvious from the last few seasons, tough to predict with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathon Stewart, Mike Tolbert, and Cam Newton all getting rushing attempts. 

Sometime next week, we'll look into some guys that won't get drafted in most leagues that should be watched closely, for when they eventually break out this year.

Adam

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Closing Time: Madden 25 Commercial - Running Back Sons

Madden is a religious experience for some people. They get every game and play it until they cannot anymore. This use to be me circa 2003 to 2011 and then I lost time for video games except when my roommate and I would play for drinks at the bar later that night.  Madden looks cool as always and this is a pretty funny ad featuring Arian Foster and Marshawn Lynch's 'dads'. I am convinced Lynch could shake a real life Grizzly but that's just me. Have a good night Tappers, we should be back on a normal schedule for tomorrow.

Charlie.

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