According to this, Carolina is expected to make a play on newly released tight end, Alge Crumpler. No news there. What the article also says, is that no team can begin recruiting him till he shows up on a waiver list. The next release is Monday. I was under the impression that players with more than four years experience aren't subject to waivers, but the Carolina Gen Manger seems to support his case. Although the fact that Mike Wahle was on a flight mere hours after he was released seems to support my claim.
It does predict the Hawks, with Jim Mora's ties, will also be involved.
END-OF-POST.
It would be nice to get him unless there is a crazy bidding war.
ReplyDeleteHe's still good and would do wonders for our passing game, especially with the uncetainty at WR (Branch ACL, Hackett FA).
Even if we sign him, that doesn't mean we couldn't take a TE in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rounds, to groom for the future.
I think that Carolina will push heavy to get him since we can see all the buzz about Carolina wanting him. I still think we are 2nd on his list though and I actually think we could sign him to a 2-3 year contract. We need a veteran in there to teach the younger guys.
ReplyDeleteI remember Abraham screwing us over a few years ago b/c he wanted to be closer to home (can't really blame him though).
ReplyDeleteIf Caronlina signs him (which would be a good signing for them), it just shows what losers they are (and teams like them).
They release Wahle, a very good left guard, and then they add Crumpler and they have done nothing to get better. They lose a good player but add a good one too.
They release a good player to add cap space so they can add a good player to pretend to their fans that they are getting better.
Thank goodness for Paul Allen!
I see Timmy pursuing him very aggressively, judging by the way that he went after Daniel Graham who was not even on the same planet as Alge. He knows this is Holmy's last year and it's go big or go home for the big show.
ReplyDeleteI have heard mixed reviews about his character. Some sites say he was a team leader, others say, citing his blatant abuse of league policy (I don't remember any such incident, but it is what I read) that he is a poor character guy. I don't really know what to think; sounds like Mora would like him (KJR).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't know if the front office thinks we have enough money to sign him because they have been dragging their feet with signing our own guys.
Steffis!!!!! This page rocks!!! I like the new look. Very sleek and sexy. Go Vikings!
ReplyDeleteAnd Everybody meet Irish Jimmy... I was the only thing standing between his drunken ass and about ten angry 12men after EJ Henderson took that cheap shot on Hass in 06'
ReplyDeleteWrong guy, this is Dave. I may be drunk, but I'm not Irish.
ReplyDeleteF-ing Viking fans, you guys are all the same. Tell Hutchinson we said go to hell!
ReplyDeleteWhy would you want to replace Pollack? I thought he had a great year.
ReplyDeleteI mean Pollard.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously didn't watch the GB playoff game.
ReplyDeleteI was being sarcastic (I wish there was an easy way to make come through in the written word). I had him on my fantasy team for the first half of the season, and he was worthless. Unlike Hasselback and Bobby E. I enjoyed watching the run your boys produced this year. Maybe the Vikes can produce like them next year. Not likely, however, with good ol' T. Jackson running the offense.
ReplyDeletePurplejesus,
ReplyDeleteDon't you realize that T. Jackson is the football god's punishment for the Hutch poison pill? :)
I don't blame Hutchinson for leaving, I put the blame squarely on Ruskell's shoulders where it belongs. E.J. Henderson should be burned at the stake though.
ReplyDeleteCrumpler is on the wrong side of 30, has bad knees and probably wants too much money. Enough with the Atlanta and Tampa castoffs. Draft Fred Davis in the 1st round, and take Kellen Davis in the 5th or 6th (presuming we still have a 6th since Ruskell traded one for that superlative QB Charlie Frye and the Pearman trade with Jacksonville is still listed as an undisclosed pick).
Crumpler said some nice things about dog killer when the press first picked it up ... is that supporting a friend/teammate or a character flaw or both?
ReplyDeleteMora and Ruskell and Webster figured it out ten minutes after he was cut ... the physical part might be a lowball salary offer with incentives.
Either they contacted his agent (or him) on Friday or they won't talk to him at all.
Anonymous Whomever, Carolina was bent on keeping Wharton and Gross on the OLine, which they did. And they do have cap problems since they apparently want to sign Jerome Kearse.
Tampa will be more of a Seahawks competitor for Crumpler's services.
Yeah, MS, thanks for this post-Sando site which needs Seahawks junkies vitals checked often.
phildurt, without a link or quotes on Alge Crumpler's comments I'd have to think that what he was doing was standing by a teammate who was in a tough spot and getting tougher, rather than supporting dog fighting.
ReplyDeleteHas Jordan Gross been re-signed by Carolina? I know Wharton has, but have heard no info on Gross.
To clarify on Crumpler, if he didn't have the knee problems last year I wouldn't be so leery about the Hawks signing him. I remember his father playing with the Seahawks. If the knees are/were OK (and frankly I've yet to see a knee condition, if that's what it is rather than some injury that can be corrected by 'scoping it, for example, get better over time) and the numbers were favorable contract-wise, then it wouldn't be a bad idea at all. But I'd still favor taking Davis or Carlson in the 1st round.
Myschick, most every story from in and around the Panthers is that Gross will be franchised or sign a long term contract, here's one view:
ReplyDeleteThere also is the option of moving right tackle Jordan Gross to the other side, where he's played before, but Gross is better on the right side. In any event, expect the Panthers to keep Gross, whether with a new contract or the franchise tag. And if nothing available suits the Panthers as far as acquiring another tackle, don't be surprised if they enter the season with Wharton in his old
position.
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MS, light a cigar.
The SI story on Wahle quote: "Because he was released and does not have a contract that is expiring ..." allowed immediate signing.
So I would be concerned that there is no need for Crumpler to clear waivers and that is just smoke from a Carolina exec thinking he is smarter than some others in the League.
I would still like to see some local medium clarify this matter.
Gross is good enough to get the F-tag if the Panthers don't get a deal done in time.
ReplyDeleteCrumpler still has enough left in the tank to have about three good years, so it just comes down to the obvious - does he want to live in Seattle, will he take a three year deal, is this a good cap decision for the Hawks (oh, and how much are the Saints, Bills, Panthers willing to shell out for his services).
I'm not big on rabid speculation (like our boy F. Hughes seems to be), but I'm wonding if anyone knows if injured players can be successfully traded - will teams make deals for guys that are injured. It sure would be nice to pass off Branch for say J. Walker or L. Coles.
Unlike some people, I think Fred Davis could step right in and contribute in this offense..
ReplyDeleteI would rather draft Davis in the first round and look at RB in the second..
Alge's knee scares me off..
mysticseachicken, you don't blame Hutch for leaving, but you should. He certainly gets the bulk of the blame.
ReplyDeleteWhile in hindsight, even Ruskell believes the transition tag was a mistake, it wasn't him who created or signed the contract with the poison pill in it. He would have been the highest paid guard in the league if he stayed in Seattle OR played for the Vikings, so clearly he didn't want to stay. That's his fault, period.
He's the ONLY player who ever claimed to be "upset" about NOT being franchised, so don't believe that line. Generally players are pissed if they are franchised, as Walt was for the two years prior, and will holdout, complain and whine about it. The do this because it limits them to "only" the average of the top 5 players at their position (or in the case of the o-line, top 5 players on ANY position on the o-line).
They did Hutch a favor, allowing him to go out and see what the market would bear, and would have matched the highest price, if not for the poison pill, so again, it's Hutch's fault he's not here.
While Ruskell should have franchised him, it wasn't obvious that we would lose him given the terms of the transition tag until the poison pill came up. Sucks, but still, he didn't have to sign it.
You are entitled to your opinion, but the blame is certainly shared.
Supafreak
My take on the Hutchinson fiasco is this. Rightly or wrongly, ego's enter into this. Some players control the ego, but not at contract time. Hutchinson was universally recognized as the best guard in the league, and if memory serves he was voted to the All Pro team while here. That is different than the Pro Bowl, which is just a popularity contest with fans and players. All Pro is strictly a vote of your peers. Hutchinson knew he was the best, wanted the organization to treat him as such, but the Seahawks as has long been their want before Ruskell arrived, did not extend his contract before he reached free agency. They got a last minute deal done with Hasselbeck and Jones so they wouldn't reach free agency, Franchised Alexander, then sign him to a big contract. Money that should have gone to Hutchinson. I don't know if they even talked to his agent about an extension. A bum like Alexander gets big bucks, although he hasn't done a thing to earn it the last two years, and they let Hutchinson go to free agency and to top it off, they don't even Franchise him. He was insulted, and understandably so, and felt dissed by Ruskell who openly said he didn't value guards, they were "a dime a dozen". So he uses the Transition tag when even Holmgren expected him to Franchised, to let some other team do his negotiating for him. Well some other team did. Only by now, Hutchinson is so pissed off at Ruskell that he has the poison pill put in the contract, because he hates Ruskell and doesn't want to play for him anymore. A lot different than saying he didn't want to be in Seattle. It got personal with him, and Ruskell couldn't see it coming because he to him players are just pieces of equipment, not human beings. He's tried to screw a lot of guys, like Jerheme Urban, and the team stood up for him and so did Holmgren. A guy gets an ankle sprain (like Weaver), he gets stuck on IR by Ruskell and then can't contribute later in the year. He told Darche he wasn't wanted any more because he wanted to bring in a crony from Tampa, I think it was, Derek Rackley, to replace him. Rackely sucked, he brought in another reject from Atlanta, wasn't it, Stutz? And he sucked so finally they get some 37 year old guy who'd been out of football for 2 years, and we lost games because he didn't want Darche anymore in favor of his old pals. In my opinion, the blame for that whole fiasco with Steve Hutchinson lies squarely with Tim Ruskell.
ReplyDeletemysticseachicken
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! Exactly my thoughts with respect to Hutch!
Hutch still is one of my favorite 'Hawks of all time, a few notches below Easley and Largent though.
If our employers told any of us that we weren't valued and crap like that... every single one of us would jump ship if we could and just like Hutch did. And if we had to sign a "poison pill" to get our way out of town, that's exactly what every reading reading this would have done too!
Oh by the way, Timmy told Hutch prior to '05 that he would extend him. Didn't happen. Who's the liar and backstabber now?
bobbyk03
Umm, it's Hutch that CLAIMED Timmy said he would extend him, that's never been confirmed from anyone else. So, considering the line of B.S. Hutch has thrown around since then, I wouldn't bet the bank on his honesty either.
ReplyDeleteOh, and while Ruskell should have franchised him, he didn't feel the transition tag was a risk, otherwise he would have franchised him. It was a mistake, but not one that was easy to see until afterwards. Our hindsight makes the issue clear, but in foresight, it wasn't an easy call.
I feel like Ruskell cannot be blamed for the Hutchinson fiasco (I too think it is a fiasco). You cannot treat every player like they are the best even if they are, because then you couldn't afford a whole team. Case point: look at the situation we are in with our FA, it is very likely that Trufant wants to be the highest paid corner in the league, and he has brought his pride to the table, same with Josh Brown. Then we have Locklear, he looks like he wants LT money, but he's a RT. The only one we don't know about is DJ Hackett. If we break the bank on everybody, eventually we screw ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happenned with Shaun, he wanted to be the highest paid RB, we gave in, and then didn't have loads of cash to throw at Hutchinson.
What would you do with our current FA's? Trufant has looked real good, so has Josh Brown, and for that matter Locklear is really good in our system because he pass protects like a LT, and Hasselbeck benefits a lot from that protection. If we resign them, what happens next year? Lofa is going to be eligible for FA, but we won't have the $$$ to give him, and he is more important to our Defense than Trufant.